shee thought had more perfectly denyed mercy Yet I believe the woman to be a good woman something of refreshment she had e're she went away This is the of sinne a bewildring darkness to such a soule aggravate your sinnes as much as you will onely by their aggravation take heed of diminishing the freeness or fulness of Gods grace Secondly Soules in such a case 2. Pass darke sentences on our selves lose themselves in the dark sentences that they pass upon themselves Paul tels you that sin by the Law slew him that is passed a sentence of death upon him according to that phrase 2 Cor. 1.9 Who received the sentence of death in our selves Poor soules will save God as I may so say a labour in the condemning of them for they will condemne themselves and their sentence shall be very dark even as dark as death it selfe Oh! never did any deserve Hell more then my selfe thither I am a going and there I must receive a just recompence of reward Let me go to Hell said one for that is the fittest place for me Thirdly They often in such a season take up dark Resolves concerning themselves 3ly Take up dark resolves concerning themselves they themselves passed Sentence and now they proceed to Execution They say they have deserved Hell and it must be so they must go to Hell there 's no helpe for 't say what you can to comfort me my sinne will slay me doe what you can for me my sinne will slay me I have heard such language and now the soule 's at an utter loss Oh! I shall verily die in my sinnes Jer. 15.18 My pain is perpetuall and my wound incurable Oh! if the terrours of the Lord were but for a day or a year I might better beare them saith such a soul but they are perpetuall eternall death is the wages of my sinne what shall I doe Oh! if my wound were curable though it be great and terrible but I am without any expectation of recovery past all hope Thus poore ones in this darksome wildernesse do resolve concerning themselves 4ly Dark resolutions with themselves 4ly From dark Resolves concerning themselves they sometimes pass to darker resolutions with themselves Their hearts language is not onely I may be damned and I must be damned there 's no other way but even almost I will be damned There 's no comfort for me and I will take no comfort to me Jer. 15.18 My pain is perpetuall and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed Not onely incurable that is that cannot be healed but that refuseth to be cured that is that will not be healed and verily as for soules that have a long time said Note that there is no mercy or comfort that belongs unto them there is a kind of spirituall pride in the lowest ebbe of very despaire they have so long said that they shall perish that when they begin through mercy to be better perswaded they are very loath to think that it shall be otherwise and so refuse to be healed so Asaph Psal 77.2 My sore ran in the night and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted Oh! take heed of thrusting Gods precious Consolations so often or so long from you as to get an habit of refusing him habits are hardly left though there be never so great reason to disswade us from them Sometimes poore soules in this darksome wilderness are ready to be of his minde and vote who desired that he might be in Hell that he might know the worst of his torment yet God that allures into the wilderness fastens comfort oft-times upon such a soul These are bewildring-darknesses as to our selves CHAP. XX. Contains the second kind of bewildring darkenesse in conversion viz. relating to God in foure particulars removed BUt secondly 2d Kind such as relate unto God There are attending upon conversion bewildring darknesses as relating to God Dark thoughts concerning the Purposes the Thoughts the Providences the Justice and mercy of God towards us 1. 1. Darknesse as to Gods purposes Such a day many times bewildes poore soules in dark thoughts concerning Gods purposes about themselves Oh! saith many a soule I should be glad to pray to repent to believe to do any thing for God but I am a Reprobate I know God hath from all eternity cast me away and therefore it is in vaine for me to doe any thing but as my deserved portion is everlastingly to despair Here is the blacknesse of darkness indeed but who told thee that thou are a Reprobate Why I am sure I am a Reprobate But why dost thou think that Gods eternall purpose was to pass thee by Why I am sure I am a Reprobate My Brethren I know it is the great duty of every Saint to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure and so saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.16 We ought to make sure that is be assured of our election so that we might conclude it and comfortably assert from our Calling that is because we find that we are converted to rest assured that we were elected because called therefore that we were chosen of God But ther 's no Scripture that either bids or warrants us to make our Reprobation sure that is to stand assured that we are reprobated no not because we are unconverted You 'l say the Apostle bids us to examine our selves upon such terms 2 Cor. 13.5 Know ye not your selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates the word i◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why Jesus Christ is not in me therefore I am a Reprobate Is this thine argument truly then thou must also say that there was a time when Paul was a Reprobate that spake it for there was a time when Christ was not in Paul Yea that the Saints that are in heaven were once Reprobates for certaine it is that they were once Christless and if this be so then to be Reprobate is no more then to unconverted and if this be thy meaning why should'st thou despaire upon the thoughts that thou art a Reprobate for though thou be Christless and by such reasoning a Reprobate to day as Paul before Conversion yet maist thou bee saved as well as he and so reprobation shall no more hinder thy salvation then unconversion But it is evident from the dark despaire that rests upon their spirits unto whom I speake that conclude they cannot be saved because as they thinke they are Reprobates that they are not so criticall as to distinguish betwixt Reprobate as opposed to Elect and opposite to Gods present approbation which an Elect but unconverted person may not have but take Reprobate in the saddest sence in which I cannot apprehend how any with reason can make unconversion an assuring token of it onely glad they are poor souls to take up any staffe wherewith to beat themselves I shall therefore in a word tell you what I think from these two
ver 12. And now friends what think you of dying in sin I may say to you and to my self what the prophet speaketh Amos 3.8 The lion hath roared who will not fear the Lord God hath spoken who can hut prophesie 2. Wilderness death a double death Secondly Dying in the wilderness doth best represent the double death of sin If a man dieth on his bed yea amongst his enemies yet doth he die but once his body is buried and returns unto the dust in peace from whence it came but if a man perâ—sh in the wilderness where body and soul are parted a sunder his carkase also is rent in pieces and being rent is devoured of wilde beasts and so findes as it were a living grave and do you not know that such a grave is hell The Lord threatneth it as a sad judgement upon the people that after death their carkases should be devoured of wilde beasts Jer. 7.33 Their carkases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven and beasts of the earth and none shall fray them away Therefore doth the Lord compare that which by Iohn is called the second death unto some beast of the forest opening his mouth and widening as it were his throat to swallow down the prey Isa 5.14 therefore hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure I tell you hell hath a wide mouth and open throat to receive the carkases the souls I mean of those that perish in the spiritual wilderness of sin 3. Wilderness death an eternal death Lastly Israels dying in that wilderness was a type of eternal death surely dying in this wilderness will be seconded with that Heb. 4.17 18. They that fell in that wilderness could not enter into his rest That rest was as it is there expounded a type of heaven so that falling short is expounded also a figure of eternal ruine Let us therefore fear least a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short Heb. 5.1 Exhortation to lean upon Christ Secondly Be exhorted to lean upon the Lord Jesus that you may come forth of the destructive wilderness of sin If the famine the thorns the serpents the wilde beasts of the wilderness be so killing Oh! what need have we of a Christ Christ is Jesus and can be life unto us notwithstanding all exigencies First In this wilderness-famine Who is 1. Bread in this famine the Lord Jesus is Manna bread from heaven angels food bread of God what can a poor famishing creature desire more 1 Cor. 10.3 4. They did all eat of the same spiritual meat and drink the same spiritual drink and that was Christ Secondly 2. Healer of these rents and piercings If thy soul be pierced through or torn with the thorns of this wilderness the guilt of sin The Lord can binde up that which was broken Ezek. 34.16 as well as seek that which was lost in the wilderness therefore let us take their counsel in Hosea 6.1 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn us and he will binde us up Thirdly 3. Curer of these serpents bitings If thy soul be bitten by the serpents of this wilderness you have heard of Israels cure Numb 21.8 't is also ours the brazen Serpent the Lord Christ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so was the Son of man lifted up that whosoever belived on him should not perish but have eternal life John 3.14.15 Lastly If thy soul once get an interest in the Lord Jesus 4. Rescue from these beasts devourings thou need'st not fear what all the beasts of the wilderness can do against thee This is that spiritual David that slaies both the Lion and the Bear 1 Samuel 17.36 and he verily that reads not Christ there misseth of the best part of the story First Then Christ is able to secure thee 1. Being a lion for he is the Lion of the tribe of Judah Rev. 5.5 therefore despair not onely believe Secondly 2. Able to bring honey and â—ood He is that Sampson that brings honey out of the Lions carkase Judges 14 8. thaâ— can make even Satans temptations thine advantage food for thy faith and matter of thy Christian experience for thy future support Psal 74.14 Thou brakest the heads of Levi than and gavest him to be food for a people inhabiting the wilnerness Thirdly He shall as a Lion arise for thy salvation 3. Able to make thee as a lion Psal 31 4 5. Like as a lion and a yong lion roaring upon his prey that will not be afraid of a multitude of shâ—pherds so will the Lord of hosts come down for mount Sion and for Jerusalem as birds flying so will the Lord defend it defending also he will deliver it and passing over he will preserve it Thus wil the Lord Christ wil make thee through his strength prevail against all thy spiritual enemies be they never so many yea thou shalt be more then Conqueror through Christ that loves thee Mic. 5.8 The remnant of Jacob in the midst of many people shall be as a lion amongst the beasts of the forest as a yong lion amongst the flocks of the sheep who if he go through treadeth down and tears to pieces and none can deliver CHAP. IX Containeth the third Branch or Evidence of the first Doctrine showing that the coming out of the wilderness of sin is difficult and as to our own power desperate Third evidence The coming out of the wilderness difficult and desperate YOu have seen sin like the wilderness both in its first view and entry and in its further discoveries and progress We come now to the third Sin is a wilderness to the last as well as from the first Therefore Thirdly The coming out of the wilderness is difficult and desperate so is the coming out of sin I may say Facilis descensus eremi Sed revocare gradus Hic labor hoc opus est 'T is easie Friends to finde the way into the wilderness and into sin The Israelites were soon gotten into the wilderness Exod. 13.20 I believe they were not forty hours in getting into it but they were forty years in getting out of it Adam his posterity were in a few hours got into sin Adam and his posterity are not to this day got out of it There were not many hours from the Creation before we were all bewildred in sin Gen. 3.6 There are thousands of years since the Creation and yet are not we got out of sin The way of life is soon lost and mist of but it it is not so quickly found again There are these things considerable in the wilderness which make the coming out of it difficult and desperate and the same too truly hold in sin The wilderness is great this great wilderness is full of divers ways these various ways are perplexed these perplexed ways are uneven these uneven ways are
think of leaving thee there Old ones Vse 1. Encouragment to Old ones desirous to come out of the wilderness hath God touched any of your hearts this day have you any unfeigned desires to travel out of your old wilderness in your old age If you have speak and then ' I le speak Truly if you have but yet an ear to hear in good earnest know that though it be impossible with man to transplant such an old tree and to make it take root in a new soile or to take such a withered branch and to graft it into a living stock yet with the Lord nothing is impossible for the grace of the Gospel nothing at all is too hard That God that is able to make the hypocrite though a green tree to be dried up is able yea and according to his promise willing to cause thee though a dead and a dry tree to flourish read Ezek. 17.24 Yea but wilt thou say as well thou maist my strength as you said I finde is gone I would travel after Christ but my strength is spent in wandring in the wilderness I fear never was any converted whose case was so desperate yea but it was so with the lost sheep Luk. 15. It had spent its strength in the wilderness and could not go but Christ could carry it and so he can thee he took it and laid it upon his shoulder v. 5. If then thou canst not come out of the wilderness but by leaning upon his arm 't is no unmannerliness Beg of Christ with importunities to take thee and to lay thee upon his shoulder Object not thy lameness to come to Christ But for you aged ones 2 Terror â—o those that resolve to stay there that have lain under the droppings of this word of grace this day but yet despise the day of your visitation so neer night and will not hear his voice to day but harden your hearts as in the former dayes of your provocation in the wilderness know that it shall fare with you as with the dry trees there those drops of rain that cause other trees to sprout forth falling on them cause them to rot the sooner This word shall soake into thine heart Oh! thou dead tree and rot thee within more and more untill thou by thy rottenness be perfectly fitted for Gods furnace Job 22.15 16. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden who have been cut down out of time whose foundation was overflown with a flood Thou hast troden the same paths even paths of wickedness and of the wilderness Thou shalt be rooted up and the flood of Gods wrath shall overflow thy foundations Thou shalt be cut down out of time and committed to eternity and the everlasting flames of wrath shall take hold upon thee Think of this your aged ones that are in the twelfth hour of your day If you have not found the way out of the wilderness whilst your day shall last know that when the night comes you shall never find any way save to bed onely I mean to the grave to hell CHAP. VI. The dying hour a bewildring hour to lost souls and Hell a wilderness to departing sinners opened and applyed BUt sevethly 7. The dying hour a bewildring hour unto poor lost souls The dying heart is a bewildring hour unto poor souls And every one that dyes in the state of sin dyes in the wilderness The Lords threatning to the old Israel for their old unbelief was this Your carkeses shall fall in the wilderness Numb 14.27 And the same sin being renewed by the same people this threatning is renewed in a plainer dress John 8.21 You shall seek me but you shall dye in your sins whither I go you cannot come I go to Canaan saith Christ but thither you shall never come for you shall dye in the wilderness of your sins Ioshua walked uprightly but Israel did not Yea saith Christ You shall seek me but you shall dye in your sins That is you that have wandred in the wilderness thus long but would not be turned when you see the Lion fain would ye flee to the shepherd then when night comes fain you would get out of the wilderness but then you shall seek me as a guide but shall not finde me You shall seek me as a way but shall not light upon me for as you have lived so shall ye die You have lived in your sins you shall die in your sins and friends you have heard that to live in sin is to live in the wilderness You now hear that to dye in sin is to dye there Therefore Zelophehads daughters joyn both together Numb 27.3 Our father dyed in the wilderness he dyed in his own sin Three things make the sinners death a wilderness to his soul Three things make death a wilderness to him 1. Horror of what is past 1. The horror of what he hath been Do you think friends that when all the sins that ever he hath committed shall stand round in order about him the thoughts and horror of them is not enough to bewilder him Now he sins and takes not any notice perhaps or at least but a little He was drunk and forgets it He committed uncleanness such and such a time and hath forgotten but God that remembers will also make him remember God will methodize his sins and they shall come in their order and stand before him when God reproves him and that of all times most eminently at the hour of death Psal 50.21 And surely if single sins could wilder us much more can they all when they are set in order before us Oh! such a day in the forenoon I met with such a company and in in that company fell into such sins and that â—fternoon I met with such company and then I wandered in such siâ—ns and that night when I came home I acted with such and such fresh siâ—s and sirs I would have you believe that if you would studie you cannot half so orderly remember the sins of yesterday as God will make you able the to remember the sins of your whole lives And if your will not yet think this a Wilderness Listen Sirs listen whose voice is thaâ— in the next verse viz. verse 22. Consider this you that forget God lest I come and tear you in pieces whilest there is none to deliver If that be not the voice and roaring of a Lion then let not your methodized guilt and horror of your sins be called a Wilderness Here you have sins set in order and would you know what order it is Why this is the order his sins are set round about him yea so near him that they take hold upon him yea so many of them that they are more than the hairs of his head yea they reach so far that they are innumerable so that he is not onely unable to get out but even unable to look out of this Wilderness This is the souls condition till
God will not but let them stay upon the Lord they may injure themselves and dishonour God in this one farther work of Darknesse as much as in all the rest that were before it 6ly A mixt darkness of all these Sixthly and lastly A mixture of all that have been named is a bewildring darknesse to many a soule some things they know not and there they are in the dark other things that they know they doe not consider and so they are in the dark and bewildred still that which they doe consider they will not be perswaded of or unto and so from such willfull unperswasion passe on to Presumption and from Presumption strait forward when time serves unto Despaire and surely all these blended together are enough to make a darknesse more darke then that of Aegypt Therefore when the Apostle tells you what Methods Satan hath to bewilder souls Eph. 6.11 He calls the Devills immediately verse 12. The Rulers of the darkness As a Commander would order such and such a Party for one place such an one for another a Forlorn-hope a Left-wing a Right-wing a Reserve c. So doth Satan Marshall and order various darknesses to undoe poore soules for he is the Ruler of them that if Ignorance can't doe it Inconsideratenesse may if that will not that willfull unperswasiblenesse may if God sometimes almost perswade as he did Agrippa that Presumption may still hold or if ever Presumption leaves them that cursed despaire may seize upon them for he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the great Ruler or Generall or Commander of Darkness CHAP. XIX Containes the second sort of bewildring darknesse viz In conversion whereof three kinds 1. Such as relate to our selves Foure particulars removed THe second sort of bewildring Darknesses 2d Sort of darkness In Conversion are such as attend the soule in or unto Conversion And these are a wildernesse of Gods own providing not a wildernesse of sinne but a wildernesse wherein to afflict the soule for sinne as it is said of that Wilderness wherein the Lord led Israel forty years that it was to humble and to prove them Deut. 8.2 And to do them good in their latter end ver 16. So when God intends to convert a soule he brings it usually if not alwaies first into a Wildernesse but the designe of God is to humble it and to prove it and at length to doe it good The first view that soules have of God is as if his waies were a Wildernesse a Land of darknesse and it is the pleasure of God it should be so Hos 2.14 I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse that 's a dark dispensation indeed Oh! but then saith God I will speak comfortably to her I will first bewilder her to humble her and then at her latter end I will do her good Verily sirs if you will walke as we all naturally doe in the darke wildernesse of Soul-transgression though you be the deare Elect of God yet shall you walke in the darksome wildernesse in Soul-affliction and be as those Isai 50.10 Walking in darknesse and seeing no light at all As God tells Israel Ezek. 20.34 c. so will he deal with the soule that he brings home to himselfe I will bring you out of the people and ver 35. I will bring you into the wilderness of the people and there will I plead with you face to face and verse 37. I will cause you to passe under the Rod and bring you into the bond of the Covenant and verse 38. I will purge out the Rebels from among you These are the pure designes and aims of God in bringing soules into such a Darknesse into such a Wildernesse namely to gather them out of other Countries i. e. from the world and their vaine Conversation to cause them to passe under the Rod that is to humble them and to bring them as Israel in the Wildernesse into a new bond of Covenant and to purge out the Rebells c. that is by making sinne the hearts rebellion a bitterness to their soules to give Corruption a Deaths-wound in their soules As God of old by bringing Israel into the Wildernesse thereby first brought them out of Aegypt and then humbled them to purpose there and â—ade them enter into Covenant to be his people and there he wasted the rebellious ones that were amongst them so usefully however irksome it was for Israel to be brought into that Wilderness and verily so needfull is it if not much more in all these respects that God should first lead a soul into this darksome Wilderness before he lead them into Canaan or speak comfortably unto them Neither may a sinner take this ill at the hands of God for if he find a Convert perverting his way he will make him know that he wae againe in the Wilderness by bringing him back by an Hedge of thornes and by setting darkness in his paths and fencing up his waie that he cannot pass therefore wonder not at the Thornes Hos 2.6 7. or the Wilderness verse 14. Onely as you know how busie Satan was to lead them whilest they were in that Wildernesse into temptation so that it is called The day of temptation in the wilderness Heb. 3.8 So verily will he be sure exceedingly to endeavour to make this time of thy being led into the Wilderness of Gods owne providing an houre of temptation unto thee that so he may in sinne bewilder thee whilst God designes by such bewildring of thee to lead thee out of the wilderness of sinne I shall rank the bewildring-darkness of such a day Of these three kinds under this Threefold Head such as respect our selves such as respect God such as respect the way of Reconcliation betwixt us and God All which God at least disposeth for our good though in them Satan purposeth our ruine First In the time of Conversion 1. Kind such as relate unto our selves we are exceedingly subject to be bewildred with much darkness relating unto our selves as to have exceeding darke thoughts of our selves Of this kind are to passe darke sentences upon our selves to take up dark resolves concerning and against our selves and make darke resolutions with our selves First 1. Darke thoughts concerning and of our selves Soules in such a time have dark thoughts of themselves and in them they are bewildred before they were be wildred in sinne now they are bewildred in the sence of sinne so that they cannot find any way out no way but one and that is Death there they must die for it they must fall in this Wildernesse Memorable is that passage The sence of sinne Rom. 7.9 Sin revived and I dyed that is the sence of sinne then it followes verse 11. For sin taking occasion by the Commandement deceived me and by it slew me When the terrours of the Law joyne with the serious sense of sinne and these surround the soul this is the entangling killing wildernesse
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
the Wildernesse take as some do much paines to go farther down into it Alas poor soules 't is down-hil way thou art likely to be at the bottome soon enough even in the lowest hell without running down and if any take paines this way how shall this condemne those that take no paines the other way 2. Use Caution Is the way from the wildernesse up the hill Take heed of fainting take heed of falling 2d Cautino either of these will endanger your tumbling downe the hill againe 1. Caution Take heed of fainting My Brethren 1. Take heed of fainting how conscious are we to our selves how ready are the strongest of us to faint in those forementioned up-hil wayes Now it is not the pleasure of the Lord Jesus that any should faint in the waies of attendance upon him Mat. 15.32 I will not send them away fasting lest they faint in the way Let us also be careful lest our hearts faint in any of the wayes of Jesus Christ although they be never such up-hil wayes For which cause we faint not 2 Cor. 4.16 And as we have received mercy we faint not v. 1. We shall reap if we faint not Gal. 6.9 And this is the praise of Ephesus Rev. 2.3 Thou hast laboured and not fainted In laborious up-hil services they walked without fainting Rules to prevent fainting 1. Looke not down-ward Now to helpe you herein take these two Rules 1. Look not much down-ward 2. Look much upward You have both these together 2 Cor. 4.16 For this cause we faint not v. 18. Whilst we looke not at the things that are seene but at the things that are not seen for the things that are seene are temporall but the things that he look'd at that are not seen are eternall If a man you know would go up a Spire-steeple or Beacon of great height it is very dangerous and dazeling to look down-ward his way must be to look upward all the while 1. Look not down-ward look down and faint and so fall down Observe the Apostles opposition he sets minding of earthly things that is the looking down-ward that I speak of against having our conversation in heaven Phil. 3.19 20. Carnal hearts that mind earthly things will faint in the first steps of that way that leads out of the Wildernesse for it is an up-hil way Therefore saith the Wise man of riches and things earthly Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not Prov. 23.5 That is Doe not so much as set thine eyes upon it 2dly 2. Look much upward Look much upward I will looke unto the hills saith the Psalmist Psal 121.1 I will lift up mine eyes The Apostle comparing our lives to a race or journey bids us Heb. 12.1 2 3. To looke unto Jesus c. lest we be weary or faint in our minde It would extreamly helpe us to have our conversation in heaven to be often yea alwayes looking thither whence we looke for a Saviour Phi. 3.20 This would keepe us from fainting in this up-hil way If you be risen with Christ to the top of this hill and would keep there why then set your affections upon things above Col. 3.1 2. For thus saith the Lord Isai 40.30.31 The Youths shal utterly faint the young men shall fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength yea though it be an up-hil way they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall runne and not be weary they shall walke and not faint 2dly Caution Take heed of falling 2. Take heed of falling Is it an up-hil way beleeve it it is very ill getting a slip 1 Cor. 10. He minds us of the falls of the poor Israelites in the way towards Canaan he gives variety of instances from the 5. v. he brings all close down for our admonition vers 11. Wherefore let him that thinkes he standeth take heed lest he fall v. 12. How charily do men go up an hill in a frosty day when the wayes are slippery Oh! this is the danger 't is an up-hil way Let vs therefore labour to enter into that rest lest any man fall after the ensample of their unbeliefe Heb. 4.11 Thirdly Exhortation in two words 3ly Exhortation 1. To come up First Is it an up-hil way then pray let us up and be going let us up and repent up and beleeve up and obey up and pray and read and heare and meditate c. and that leads me to the Third main Doctrine yet before us whitherto I shall refer it Secondly Is it an up-hil way wherein is such likelihood of faintings such feare of falling Oh! 2ly To come up leaning Then labour to leane upon the beloved whilst you come up from the Wildernesse to repent and lean to believe and lean to obey and lean to pray c. and lean and this would lead to the fourth main Doctrine therefore we shall dismisse it for the present We passe on to CHAP. II. Containes the third maine Doctrine That it greatly concernes lost soules to come up from the wildernesse of sinne discovered and applyed with choice directions thereunto THe third maine Point 3d. Maine Doctrine viz. That it is the great concernment of lost soules to come up from the Wildernesse of sinne The Spouse in the Text had been in the Wildernesse but now up she gat That is the lost souls great business to come up from the wilderness and away she came and this is thy great businesse The voyce of the Lord unto such a soule is like the voyce of Christ to his chosen ones in Babylon Rev. 18.4 Come out of her my people lest you partake of her plagues Come out of the Wildernesse my poor Creatures lest you dye wlldernesse-wlldernesse-deaths and now must the answer of thy soule be I come Lord. The Lords bewildred spouse Hos 2. takes up this main resolution as her maine worke and businesse I will return to my first husband Hos 2. v. 7. I will goe and return so the Prodigal I will arise and goe to my Father The bewildred Spouse the lost Sonne this is it that they make their great work businesse and 't is not strange that it should be so if you consider that the comming up of lost soules is the very great worke and businesse of God himselfe For this is the great business 1. Of God the Father even God the Father Son and holy Spirit 1. It is the great designe of God the Father that poor soules should come up from this spiritual wildernesse Deut. 32.9 10. Jacob is his portion he found him in the Wildernesse and led him about and instructed him you have this explain'd or if you wil seconded Thus saith the Lord God Ezek. 34.11 I even I will both search my sheep and seeke them out They have been scattered in the cloudy and darke day v. 12. Of this we have spoken I will feed them in a good pasture on the high
to soul-weariness as that of the body and to both as well as wee Tell me Christians you that know by experience what is the houre of your spirituall wearinesse is it not the houre of your spirituall travaile Read what is said of Sion Jer. 4.31 I have heard the voyce of a woman in travell the anguish c. the voyce of the daughter of Sion woe is me now my soule is wearied And minde what the Lord saith of Christ Isai 53.11 He shall see of the travell of his soule Here you have Christ in soul-travell and if any shall make doubt of his soul weariness at that time let them compare the language of travelling Sion with the voyce of her travelling King Mat. 26.38 He saith unto his Disciples My soul is exceeding sorrowfull even unto death sorrowfull unto death What is that but wearinesse of his life Hitherto refers all that former tyring travell of his pilgrimage on earth where you read of his groaning in spirit and trouble in spirit Joh. 11.33 and Joh. 13.21 Sirs what do you think of the travell of his soule when he cryes out My God my God whay hast thou forsaken me Think you that this was not a tyring travell for my part I believe that never was there any one soule that knew most of the terrors of the Lord those wearying woes and tyring terrors that ever came neare unto the sufferings of Christ in degree for hee drank the very dregs of the Cup of Gods wrath his Cup of Vinegar and Gall that he drank with his bodily mouth I reckon but a shadow and type of the tedious bitternesse of his soule and well therefore might that Patheticall Poet make it the burthen of his sad song when he personates the passion of lamenting Jesus in the language of lamenting Jeremy Was ever griefe like mine And you may say to your Saviour Was ever weariness like thine Surely if eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor heart understood the glory of that REST which Christ hath purchased by that travell neither have they perceived the wearinesse that Christ underwent in that travell we shall never fully know the one till we know both nor be able to conceive of that weariness till we be able to receive that rest Onely thus we may argue in our straightned understandings That if the terrors of one sin and the guilt of one soule be so wearying to us that nothing but infinite mercy can refresh us what tyrednesse must there needs be upon the soule of the Lord Jesus Christ 2ly He did imputatively bear the tyring guilt curse c. of our sins For as the next particular tells us The Lord Christ did though not properly and so as either to be involved in the guilt or depraved by the stain imputatively beare and takes upon himselfe the sinnes of many soules even of all the Elect to beare the weight of the sin and the Lords wrath for the sin in behalfe of their soules who is therefore said 2 Cor. 5.21 To be made sin for us not for all but for us or if for all yet but for all us Isai 53.6 The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all These are the many considered in themselves though they be but few comparatively whose sins he is said to bear vers 12. when he powred out his soul unto the death And this leads me to 2d Part It was to our weaknesses wearinesses and for our sakes not his own The second Proposition That it was our weakness and weariness rather then his own that Christ tooke on him and for our sakes rather then his own This I passe over as being the full and plain importance of Isai 53. throughout the Chapter and as necessarily deducible from what I have here already proved and therefore I shall proceed to 3d. Part. That Christ thereby became a sutable support for us The third Proposition That the Lord Christ by being subjected unto our weaknesses and wearinesses is hereby become an apt support and leaning stock unto us I have before shewed that the 110 Psalm is by the Apostle expounded of Christ which closeth with this briefe prophesie of the sufferings of Christ and the issue of them verse 7. He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therefore shall he lift up the head It 't is not said then shall he lift up his head or therefore shall he lift up his own head though that were true but indefinitely the head that is as his own so the head of those that are bowed down because his owne head was bowed down to drinke of the brook of the waters of Marah that is therefore he is become a sutable Saviour to lift up the head that is to stay to strengthen to support the hearts of poore disconsolate ones because himselfe had his own head in the brook before us for two things are here imported which are both expressed by the Apostle to the Hebrews For 1. Thereby he gat skill as knowing our weaknesses and wearinesses experimentally First That because Christ himselfe was once subject to weaknesses and wearinesses like as we are therefore he hath skill to succour us as knowing our grievances indeed known unto the Lord God are all our sufferings sorrows sicknesses c. but it is Cognitione intuitûs with a viewing knowledge Known they are to the Lord Christ Cognitione sensûs with a feeling knowledge Thus Heb. 2.18 For in that himselfe suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted So in that himself was weary and had need of refreshing in his journeyings on earth and had need of strengthning in his Agony therefore he is an accomplished high Priest able to support the weak and to succour the weary 2ly Therefore also he hath will to succour 2ly Therefore he hath as good will also because of sympathy as well as ability Thou knowest the heart of a stranger saith God to Israel because thou wast a stranger in Egypt So Christ knows the heart of an afflicted groaning troubled weakned wearied soule because it was once thus with himselfe This Antecedent and Consequence the Apostle hath both together Heb. 2.17 Wherefore it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren in all things that he might be a mercifull and faithfull high Priest Hence is that sympathy of Christ in Heaven with sorrowing Saints on Earth whose language is as Pauls 2 Cor. 11.29 Who is weak and I am not weak take two Scriptures for it the one Isai 63.9 In all their afflictions he was afflicted and Act. 9.4 Why persecutest thou me so saith Christ to Satan when he assaults a weak Christian Why temptest thou me He was in Himselfe persecuted before now in his Saints tempted before in his own soule now in his members weak and weary before is his naturall body now in his mysticall body therefore doth his fellew-feeling engage him to faithfulness and his communion in sufferings to commiseration on
fed out their time in the wilderness of sin at length they have not so much as an hand or a foor or a heart to strive they have not so much as a tongue to beg or a mouth to receive any of those provisions that the Lord hath made for poor souls in Jesus Christ Thus is the wilderness provisionless as for food As for raiment what you have the wilderness the thorns the brambles can rend away and tear from you but all the wilderness cannot help you with one garment So it is with sin if you have any cloathes on any good parts or good nature as they call it the thorns and brambles and temptations of sin can tear them off Oh! how many gallant parts and good natures hath sin rent to pieces but if you be naked you must walk naked for all sin sin can strip you but it cannot clothe you you are all naked whilest you are bewildred Ezek. 16.8 and there is none to help you Therefore till you come out of the wilderness leaning upon Christ and have gotten him up on whom you lean to cast his skirt over you you walk naked and God sees your shame there is no raiment to be had for the soul but onely where Christ keeps his Markets Rev. 3.18 and so for other accommodations all which being thus makes me sadly say Sin is a wilderness that is provisionless O how evil is sin to men and which is saddest of all yet yet are men kinde to sin Sin cannot feed you and yet speak your consciences do not most of you feed sin and cherish and nourish sin sin cannot clothe you O what shall become of those men for their courtesie that cover sin In a word sin cannot make provision for you therefore I beseech you close with the Apostles counsel Rom. 13.14 Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof CHAP. IV. Containeth the two last considerations shewing the dismalness of wilderness-sin because both are wayless waste and husbandless As also the application of the first consideration Exhortation Labor to finde Christ to thy soul a Gardiner to make thee fruitful FIfthly The wilderness as it thus provisionless The wilderness is wayless upon which account there is no encouragement to abide in it so also is it wayless there is no way to get out of it This vain Poets could conclude as the most dismal travelling in the world viz. when they were to go per avia that is wayless places and this indeed the holy Ghost imports as alike dismal to the people and princes of the earth whom God thus punisheth Job 12.24 He causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way And thus it is with sin you are not to think that there are no ways in the wilderness there is as you read the track to the Lions den and Leopards mountain there are ways further into the wilderness but there is no good way no right way no way out again no peaceable and secure way c. Thus there are many too many ways of sin and into sin but there is not one good way amongst them all Sin acquaints sinners with ten thousand ways and yet amongst them all the way of peace have they not known Rom. 3.17 The ways of sin are ways to the Lions den c. Prov. 7.27 Her house is the way to hell and Prov. 5.5 Her feet go down to death her steps take hold on hell Least thou shouldst ponder the path of life her ways are moveable she hath ways great store but not so much as one good living way as one foot-path of life amongst them all therefore as we are to shew afterwards though sin hath as many ways as the wilderness yet may we in the same sense that the holy Ghost calls the wilderness without way conclude sin wayless If you will have it the ways of sin are wayless ways so that as one saith of the way to the Lions den vestigia terrent Omnia te adversum spectantia nulla retorsum So saith the holy Ghost of sin many beasts went to the Lions den but none return back again Prov. 2.19 None that go to her return again neither take they hold of the pathes of life The wilderness is waste and husbandless Lastly 'T is dismal because waste and husbandless and so is the whole region of sin you have the wilderness and waste places as importing one and the same thing Isa 51.3 The Lord will comfort all her waste places and make her wilderness like Eden yea you have waste the character of the wilderness Deut. 32.10 In a desert land and in the waste howling wilderness and surely it must needs be so if that be true which we have heard Scriptures already speak In the wilderness there is no man Job 38.26 no man to plant no man to pluck up no man to plough no man to sowe how should it be but waste In this as in the rest is sin a dismal wilderness there are no provisions there as you have heard for it is desolate there are none like to be for it is waste and desert The plain English of the word desert is what God expounds it Isa 27.10 The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness Therefore when any soul through sin is a wilderness you may write upon that soul desert the Lord hath forsaken it This is a sad consideration when the soul goes on a long time in sin and then God comes with a judicial act and doth as it were bind it in its sins The soul saith I am willing to be as a wilderness unto God unfruitful to him c. and God saith If thou wilt be a wilderness thou shalt also be a desert I will forsake thee Thus God threatens for sin to set Jerusalem and make her as a wilderness Hosea 2.2 Now this is most sadly true when the soul hath been under the pains and charges of the Lord as you say this piece of ground I have fallowed plough'd sown thus often tryed thus long and it hath brought me forth nothing answerable to mine expectations I have lost say you my time toil and cost about it and now you cast it up So the barren Fig tree Mat. 21.19 as God gave them up Psalm 81.12 Let what will become of it you will never look after it more Now is this ground left DESERT Thus the Lord telleth Isai 5. what husbandry he had bestowed upon Israel his Vineyard v. 7. which yet brought forth none but wilderness-fruit viz. wilde Grapes v. 4. I le tell you saith God v. 5. what I will do with it I will take away the Hedg and it shall be eaten up and break down the Wall and it shall be trodden down I will lay it waste it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up Briars and Thorns and I will command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it v. 6. And O what a dismal Wilderness must
the soul needs be when the Lord shall thus forsake it There is none to plant prune or protect it no word or spirit to water it it must needs follow that it shall be laid waste and eaten up and trodden down and nothing but Briars and Thorns shall grow there How sad instances hereof have we in some that have lived long under Gospel-means But are not thereby become as a Garden Are they not as a Wilderness Yea of all others the most sharp and thorny and no wonder since they are left of the Lord and desert Is it so then that the Wilderness of Sin is so dismal because fruitless moistureless companionless Vse provisionless wayless waste and husbandless I shall onely improve this sad Consideration unto a double word of Exhortation respect being had unto the several particulars First Are we by sin become barren as a Wilderness Exhortation Labour to finde Christ as a Gard'ner to thy barren soul to make it fruitfull it is onely by grace that we can be made like Eden Isai 51.3 CHRIST is the Gard'ner that can both furnish us with fruit and make us bear fruit for this end he chooseth the grounds he gard'neth John 15.16 Of our selves we neither have fruit for our selves nor bring forth fruit to the Lord but CHRIST gives fruit and makes fruitfull He is the Apple-tree Cant. 2.3 He is the true Vine John 15.1 And yet the Dresser of the Vineyard Luke 13.7 Our Wilderness comes to nothing till it becomes his Husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 Our souls are not comforted with Apples till we taste of his fruit Cant. 2.3 5. When we were in Paradise we were as a Paradise it was fruitfull to us and we to God Now we are in the Wilderness we are as a Wilderness sin is fruitless to us and we to the Lord. The Tree of Life made Eden a Paradise the River made it a fruitfull Paradise We lost both when we lost our selves There is now no Tree of Life with us to bear us fruit nor Water of Life to make us bear fruit But yet both are with Christ Rev. 22.1 2. And who so do his Commandments have right thereunto v. 14. Christ can set us with slips of Paradise Alas who would as they Isai 17.10 be setting their hearts with strange slips thy people shall be all righteous the branch of my planting the work of mine hand Isai 60.21 Yea and that they may be called Trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified As the Garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth so the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before them Isai 61.3 11. Again Christ can replenish us with fruits of Paradise Alas why should we savour those fruits unto death Rom. 7 5. from me saith the Lord is thy fruit found Hos 14.8 Even the twelve manner of fruits of the Tree of Life enough for all the Tribes and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the Nations Rev. 22.1 2. * Compare Ezek. 47 8.12 with Rev 22.1 2. Here 's food and physick life and healing for Jew and for Gentile surely the Wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them Isai 35.1 When those waters Ezek. 47.8 Go down into the Desart But what is the wilderness the better that there are gardens in the world Or we that some strangers have such rare plants or choice fruits in remote countreys Christ hath born and doth bear fruits various and precious old and new such as wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption with fruits of joy and peace in believing Yea his mediation and the counsel of peace between him and his Father fruit as old as Eternity his intercession and tendring himself a sacrifice for sin as soon as we had faln as a Lamb slain from the begining of the world fruit as old as the world his incarnation birth circumcision temptations sorrows sufferings death burial resurrection and ascension fruits above sixteen hundred years old his word his spirit his daily intercession and gracious dispensations fruits as new as every day These these are the fruits that Christ hath brought forth and unto which they have right that obey his call his command Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse is his call Cant. 4 8. Eat O friends is his command Cant. 5.1 Now be not thou unmannerly modest or disobediently humble take what is given come when thou art called Thou wilt be little the better though Christ be a tree of life to others unless thou come to Christ and feed upon him Oh! therefore be encouraged poor barren soul to leave the desolate wilderness and to hasten thence ere thou perishest therein why should unbelief detain thee any longer from everlasting blessedness for Blessed are they that do his Commandments for these have right to the tree of life and then will Christs fruit be sweet unto thy taste as the Spouse asserteth Cant. 2.3 and then and never till then wilt thou be able to say My Lord and my God my Savior and my redeemer for they onely can truly call the Lord our Righteousness our Advocate our Peace-maker who can look upon all that Christ did as done for themselves in particular Oh! what pleasant fruit is here laid up for the poor soul that was barren and fruitless as a wilderness even until now CHAP. V. Carryeth on the general Exhortation Labor to finde thy soul a fruitful garden unto Christ c. BUt secondly 2. Labor to finde thy soul as a fruitful garden unto Christ labor also to finde thy soul to be a fruitful garden unto Christ for though the other do not depend upon this but this upon the other yet thou wilt hardly finde the other till in some measure thou hast found this O 't is a sweet thing for the soul of a wilderness to be made a fruitful garden unto Christ Marvelously is Christ delighted with it he speaking of the Spouse Cant. 7.7 thy breasts saith he are like clusters of the grapes and row also shall thy breasts be as the clusters of the vine and the smell of thy nose like apples Oh! when believers hearts and breasts are fruitful in holiness unto Christ how marvellously is he delighted yea then Christ delights 〈◊〉 them also ch 6. v 11.12 Let us get up early saith she to the vineyards to see if the vine flourish or the tender grape appear or the pomgranate bud forth there will I give thee my loves O there Christ also manifests much love his loves that 's all his love as 't were to the soul when and where the soul brings forth fruit unto Christ when Daniel was praying then comes out the message O Daniel greatly beloved when the soul acts faith or zeal or any of the fruits of the spirit are budding forth O then Christ takes great delight in it and therefore he observes and watches the souls fruit God could tell if
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
a leopard shall watch over their cities every one that goeth thence shall be tom in pieces because their transgressions are many and their back-slidings are increased Jer. 5.6 As long as we are and continue in the wilderness of sin we can meet none but such as like wilde beasts will devour us whether men or devils they all will be found as destroyers unto our souls 1. Men devouring beasts Amongst men I shal primely instance in two ranks that of all others are most so though all sinful men wilderness companions in their kinde and degree are so such were the beasts of Ephesus First Sinful magistrates sinful great ones 1. Evil Magistrates they are wilnerss beasts and greatly destructive to poor souls they lead men by precept by practice into the lions den and leopards mountains they lead men to hell by authority Prov. 28.15 As a ranging lion and a roaring bear so is a wicked ruler over the poor people Secondly Sinful and godless ministers 2. Evil Ministers such are ravening wolves though clothed with the fleece in sheeps clothing I remember the Popish painters humor who limning a Frier in a coul with a wolves head preaching unto a flock of sheep choosing that Text of the Apostles with a little variation God is my witness how I long for you all in my bowels Verily it is not far from the Lords own language Ezek. 22.25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof like a roaring lion ravening the prey they have devoured souls Friends let us Ministers look to it there can be but two kindes of us either shepherds or devouring beasts ruining the souls committed to us Secondly 2. Devils devouring beasts Devils whatever delusions they carry the poor soul away with will be found in the end to be as Peter calls them 1 Pet. 5.8 Roaring lions going about seeking whom they may devour therefore take heed of Satan come he as an angel of light yet is his business to carry you into the pit of darkness the Lions den whence there is no more return Lastly Christ will be found unto such 3. God himself the Lion of the tribe of Judah and surely miserably will that soul be rent which God tears terrible are those expressions I 'le be unto Ephraim as a lion and as a yong lion unto the house of Judah I even I will tear and go away Hos 5.14 so Hos 13. I did know thee in the wilderness vers 5. they have forgotten me ver 6. therefore will I be unto them as a lion as a leopard by the way will I observe them I will meet them as a Bear bereaved of her whelps and I will rent the caul of their heart and there will I devour them like a lion the wilde beasts shall tear them verse 7 8. you see Men rend Devils tear God destroys what can be more sadly thought upon yea the famine consumes the thorns pierce the serpents poison the beasts devour Is not this a destructive wilderness CHAP. VIII Containeth the Application of the former Chapter LEt me improve this unto your Conviction and Exhortation Vse 1 Conviction how fearful is it to die in sin First For conviction Understand from hence what it is to perish in the spiritual wilderness of sin of all places on earth the wilderness in scripture is called most terrible and surely of all deaths dying in the wilderness is most terrible The children of Israel had such a natural horror of that natural wilderness that it seems they had rather have died any where then there Because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness Exod. 14.11 And it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians then to die in this wilderness ver 12. rather do any thing rather suffer any thing rather die any where would we had died when our brethren died before the Lord and why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness that we should die there Num. 20.3 4. O friends did you but consider what it it is to die in this wilderness of sin you would rather choose bondage prison death any thing then sin for fear least you should die in sin There 's that in dying in the wilderness which to my thoughts doth better represent dying in sin then any other kinde of death doth To say nothing more of the sad variety of wilderness-deaths he that scapes the famine is pierced through with thorns he that scapes the thorns is stung and bitten with serpents he that scapes the serpents is devoured of wilde beasts he that scapes the Bear the Lion findes him he that scapes the Lion is torn of Leopards he that scapes the Leopard some other Beast of the forest devours him one plague or another one curse or another will be sure to ruine the sining soul There are these three things observable It is the most remediless death it doth represent a double death it doth figure an eternal death First Dying in the wilderness Wilderness death is remediless is of all deaths the most remediless you may easily phansie it in these three particulars First 1. None to deliver if a man be in danger of death by robbers upon the road he may hope for the coming on of passengers for his rescue but if a man be in danger of death in the wilderness there is no man yea none to be hoped for to redeem him thus it is with the soul that dies in sin Now consider this you that forget God least I come and tear you in pieces while there is none to deliver Psal 50.22 Secondly If there were any to intercede for 2. None can rescue or rescue a poor wretch ready to die in the wilderness yet could they not be able when a yong Lion roareth upon his prey though a multitude of shepherds be called out against him he will not be afraid of their voice neither will he abase himself because of them Isa 30.4 when wife children friends do all of them lift up their voice for the dying sinner if once the Lion take him in his paw none can none shall deliver him Mic. 5.8 If a yong Lion amongst the flocks go through he both treadeth down and teareth in pieces and none can deliver so will it be with God Hos 5.14 As a lion will I be to Ephraim as a yong lion unto Judah I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue Lastly If a man be taken by his enemies 3 Thy own câ—ies will be in-effectual he may plead for mercy and plead so haply as to prevent death but if a man become a Lions prey a prey in the wilderness he may cry aloud but the Lion roars louder the Lion understands not the Lion knows not what you say The foolish virgins cry aloud Lord Lord open Matt. 25 11. but God roars louder I know you not
that way again yet cannot tell thinks it hath changed its condition yet cannot tell till by and by Satan brings it round into the same sin and then it findes that it is in the same wilderness therefore Prov. 5.6 Her ways are moveable ways there 's the number movable there 's the nature viae versatiles wily ways Sometimes they seem right unto a man as Prov. 14.12 at the beginning of the verse sometime they seem the ways of death as at the end of the verse In these is the soul intangled and hence it proves so difficult to get out of the wilderness of sin I could spend much time in instancing in the wilyness of this wilderness one word for many Satan makes some believe they shall surely be damned and therefore they think they may sin as they list Satan makes some believe they shall surely be saved and therefore they think they may sin as they list here are different pathes yet both leading into the same way here is the wiliness of temptations these are the entanglings of this wilderness It s no less then a miracle that any soul should ever get out of it because of them CHAP. X. Adds four other Reasons and concludes the first Doctrine with Application as also a word of Caution what use ought not to be made of this doctrine That sin is a wilderness FOurthly the ways of the wilderness are rough The wilderness ways are uneven crooked and uneven and these obstruct the coming out therefore the ways of the wilderness must needs be stumbling ways upon this account the prophet heightens the Lords mercy toward bewildred Israel Isa 63.13 He led them as an horse in the wilderness that they might not stumble It seems if an horseman travel in the wilderness he had need lead his horse and not his horse carry him so crooked rough and uncouth are the ways of the wilderness You have mention of desert ways Isa 40.3 they are called crooked and rough places ver 4. this makes them stumbling ways And is sin short of a wilderness in this rather then before Compare scriptures Prov. 2.13 Whose ways are crooked and pray what means the word Iniquity but unevenness these are those ways that are laid with stumbling-blocks Rev. 2.14 and therefore as he that travels in the wilderness and thinks perhaps now certainly to get out but in the mean time stumbleth he knows not how and by that stumbling loseth that view which he had out of the thicket into the open field and so falls into some pit of darkness so saith the Holy Ghost of the way of sin expresly Prov. 4.19 The way of the wicked is as darkness they know not at what they stumble O Sir I would fain leave my swearing but an oath drops out I know not when O Wife I would fain leave my drunkenness and gaming c. but when I am in company I am drawn in and overcome and I know not how I would fain saist thou leave my vain thoughts but I am in the midst of them before I know it this is the way of the wilderness and you fall in it and yet know not at what you stumble But of this more afterwards 5. Wilderness ways dark ways Fifthly These stumbling ways are also dark ways The wilderness is full of thickets wickedness shall kindle like fire in the thickets of the Forest Isa 9.18 and these thickets must needs be dark and shady when the trees thereof grow so thick together and so interwoven with under-woods with bryars and brambles that the very light of the sun is hid away and when the very brightness of heaven doth not break thorow must it not be difficult for the bewildred passenger to break through must it not be difficult for the be wildred passenger to break through when he is not able to see any way before him neither doth any light come to him well may he be quite lost You have mention of the thick boughs and shadowing shroud of Lebanon Ezek. 31.3 And are there not such thick boughs such shadowing shrouds in the wilderness of sin are not they that being bewildred want Christs guidance such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death then reade Luke 1.71 Is not the way of the wicked darkness then reade Prov. 4.19 Yea are not thickets of this wilderness I mean Satans temptations and natural corruptions so great that the Sun shines upon the wilderness yet cannot enter in the light darts upon your souls yet are your souls still dark within and the light of the glorious Gospel of God shines not unto you then reade 2 Cor. 4.4 Can you wonder now that the coming out of this spiritual wilderness is so difficult when the coming in of the spiritual light is so obstructed This is thy misery poor wilderness-soul the light shines at top and the ayr is full of it thy head perhaps is full of knowledge and yet thine heart that lies at bottom is shrouded over by the thick boughs it s no wonder thy works are darkness for thy ways are such These wilderness ways are thorny ways Sixthly These dark ways are full of thorns and as you heard before that these make the wilderness way destructive so they make the coming out of it exceeding difficult for as one moves to the right hand a thorn takes hold upon him as he breaks from that a left hand bramble catcheth him you know what flow stirring there is in a thicket and such verily are the ways of sin thorny as you heard before and therefore such as will catch hold upon you on this hand to hinder you on that hand to interrupt you and all to stop your motion and to make your coming out of sin desperate and therefore as you would phrase your hindrance by brambles or thorns or bryars Oh! say you they caught hold upon me and as soon as I got off from one I was presently hung upon another on the other hand and seldom could I get off from any without a rent so the holy Ghost phraseth temptations So she caught him Prov. 7.13 and she caught him by his garment and he left his garment in her hand Gen. 39.12 I appeal friends to your experiences if temptations are not just like bryars unto your souls even herein also to retard your stirrings towards God yea to rend you if so be you yet get from them Doth thy wife never catch hold upon thee O good husband do not strike the childe good husband be not so strict and rigorous in your office you 'l lose your customers and get nothing but hatred from your neighbors are carnal friends never hindring thee in the ways of God nor rending thee if thou get off from the ways of sin these are the thorns of the wilderness take heed of being laid hold on by them Lastly 7 The wilderness is encompassing Therefore is the coming out of the wilderness difficult yea indeed desperate because the wilderness
end of the verse There thy mother brought thee forth whoever she was that bare thee Friends where doth the wilde Ass bring forth her colt Is it not in the wilderness where that is brought forth is man born Job 11.11 Man is born like a wilde asses colt compare Ezek. 16.4 5. with Deut. 32.9 where God speaks of the same Israel at the same time In the day that thou wast born in Ezek. thou wast cast forth in the open field and there I spied thee and saith he in Deut. I found thee in the waste howling wilderness so then to be born in sin is to be born in a wilderness A sign hereof in the sufferings and death those rendings of little babes If you require a sign and will not otherwise believe O look upon your sick and sorrowful little Babes Are they not sometimes torn a sunder in the birth are they not prickt to the heart with pains sometimes as soon as born are they not rent with convulsion fits Did not Davids first-born by Bathshebah die when newly born as well as Absolom full grown If you see a mans face and hands all scratched nay if you find him bloody and torn to pieces limb from limb and perhaps half or almost all devoured will you not say that he might thank the thorns and the savage beasts of the wilderness Oh! that I could never look upon my sick childe but with mine heart full of grief for mine original wilderness-transgression surely these rendings are from those thorns First Then from hence take a view of thy birth-condition Use hereof 1. As to our selves I would present it to you to the same end that God did to them Ezek. 16. That you might look upon your persons as they were in the day of your birth and loath them and upon the bowels of the Lords compassion towards you in that day and admire them surely you cannot sufficiently do the one or the other and for my part I think that he was never savingly humbled that hath not been humbled to purpose for original-bewildrings I cannot but deny their conversion that dare deny original transgression Secondly From hence take a view of thy poor children 2. As to our little babes you use to look upon your children as soon as born Oh! look upon them as born in the wilderness where the wilde Ass hath brought forth her colt there hast thou brought forth thy childe and canst thou finde in thine heart to leave it there O pitty pitty the fruit of thy loyns and of thy womb You 'l count it an argument of a whorish woman that shall be so unnatural as to go into a desert to bring forth and shall then leave her childe there You have chosen to bring forth your children in the wilderness whereas you might have brought forth in Paradise had not Eve your mother been in the transgression and led Adam also into that wilderness O tremble to think of leaving them where you bear them You 'l say What can we do for our little babes what are they capable of Why as soon as they are born you can wash and cloath and feed their bodies that are not bewildred and can you do nothing for their bewildred lost souls you cannot counsel or instruct or correct them they are not capable but yet you may pray them out of the wilderness Learn of Hannah she had a way to bring her son to Zion to the Temple to the Lord 1 Sam. 1.11 by supplication from the womb and by dedication or giving up to God from the breasts ver 28. Take thy childe from the wilderness 't is better carrying it to the temple CHAP. II. Contains the second third and fourth Particulars that from the womb in the wilderness boys and girls yong men and maidens in the wilderness of sin proved and applyed 2 From the womb in the wilderness SEcondly As in the womb and day of birth so from the womb and birth-day the unregenerate are spiritually bewildred Take your account from the very womb the Scripture will begin as soon as you which saith Psalm 58.3 The wicked are estranged from the womb as soon as they be born they go astray You use to say of little children they have no hurt in them verily as soon as they have any thing in them they have hurt in them as soon as they go they go astray and what 's that but to be bewildred Isa 48.8 Thou wast called a transgressor that is one turn'd out of the way from the womb The very first steps that the childe can take when it begins to go alone are steps in the wilderness quam primum ingreditur transgreditur Have you not observed rebellion and the old Adam in the first gestures and looks and broken words that your children learn won't won't saith the childe when 't can say no more and wrangles and fights against it's best friends Surely 't is not for nothing that the Holy Ghost so often joyns the character of our natural state to the word children thus children of wrath children of disobedience rebellious children children that are corrupters back-sliding children c. I believe that though he speaks unto men and women yet by the phrase he imports as the former Scriptures asserted that they began those ways when they were but children Friends you delight in your children when they begin to go O pity them herein that now they begin to go astray Thirdly as little children newly speaking are speaking lies 3. Boys and girls in the wilderness and newly going are going astray so boyes and girls I mean of bigger growth playing in the streets of your town you may finde them sporting in the pathes of the wilderness In this sense is that 's too true that God hath promised to fulfil in a better Isa 6.7 8. The sucking the weaned the little childe playeth with the lion and leopard and lay their hands upon the hole of the asp and cockatrice den And verily the elder they grow in years the farther they go into the wilderness The Devil counts it not lost labor to play with your children in the streets to teach them sinful words apish gestures and to tread out such pathes in the wilderness for them as their little feet may take pleasure to trample in But hearken little children and I will tell you a story that may teach you the fear of the Lord If little children even little children you of five six or seven years of age will be medling with the sinful ways of the wilderness the wilde beasts of the wilderness will not be far off Turn your children often to that sad story 2 Kings 2.23 There came forth little children and mocked the prophet and said Go up thou bald head go up thou bald head a business perhaps that some of you would rather smile at then smite at in your children and say more years will teach them more wit c. but these though children
hence Vse Vindication of Gods justice in punishing sin Let me first plead the righteousness of God in damning sinners When God comes to punish mens crooked ways their crooked hearts are blasphemously ready to reckon Gods ways crooked If therefore you now reflect how wretchedly crooked your own ways have been in trespassing you cannot think Gods ways crooked in arresting The Lord himself thus vindicates his own righteousness Ezek. 18.24 In his trespass which he hath trespassed and in the sin which he hath sinned shall he die Blame not justice for arresting you when you die Ye have been Trespassers that is you have gone out of the way all your lives Therefore God challengeth them for challenging him Yet ye say my way is not equal v. 25. Hear O Israel are not my ways equal Are not your ways unequal 29. Therefore I will judg you O house of Israel according to your ways Repent and turn from all your transgressions that is from all your goings astray and so iniquity shall not be your ruine v. 30. And what can the Lord say other If saith God you will not cease trespassing you shall die in your trespass but if you would turn and O that you would saith God from your transgression it should not be your ruine Therefore cast away all your transgressions v. 31. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord wherefore turn your selves and live v. 32. And if for all this you shall so love rather to wander and to trespass than to walk in the high-way of God the way of peace Be it unto you according to your hearts desire The Lord shall judg you according to your own ways Therefore Secondly 2. Caution what ways you walk in Let me entreat you to be exceedingly observant what ways you walk in There is but one way of life All the other ways are Wilderness The ways of infancie ways of childhood ways of youth ways of manhood of old age are all a wilderness if the condition of the soul be Christ-less therefore mark the way thou walkest in Many times experienced travailers miss the way which they well know by having their thoughts otherwise employed and as to their way inconsiderate David's question of young men holds true in all Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way Why by taking heed thereto according to thy word Psal 119.9 So Job 22.15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden Mark the bad way take heed unto the good and so shalt thou keep in the way of salvation and out of the wilderness of sin Thirdly 3. Terror to those that are will continue in the wilderness But what shall I say to those that notwithstanding all that hath been spoken are yet and yet resolve to be in the wilderness of sin That have been young and now are old yet still in sin Sirs do you not hear God inviting you into his way Do you not hear the Lion roaring in your own way Do you not hear that a wilderness-wilderness-death follows a wilderness-life and that Hell follows with it You are sometimes scared from thought of the ways of holiness and mortification self-denial c. upon hear-say and thought that there 's a Lion in that way Prov. 26.13 when there 's no such matter and though God himself tels you that himself in these your ways will be as a Lion to you and that your transgression will be our ruine and asks you Why will ye dy all that he can geâ— from you is this We will dy in the wilderness we have lived in the wilderness we will die What can God say but Be it as you have spoken and Die eternally Question But I hear some poor souls crying We have found sin as you have said we have found childhood youth age the world and all that is in the world a wilderness and fain would we exchange for a better state O! what would you have us to do Answer why God himself answers you Repent and turn from all your transgressions Ezek. 18.30 and cast away from you all your transgressions v. 31. that is turn unfeinedly turn universally Turn you and the Lord shall come Encouragement to com out of the wilderness Christ will meet them and meet you in your way For the Redeemer shall come to them that turn from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord. Isai 49.20 O! but what shall I do with my sins my wandrings my wilderness-provocations I durst come were it not for them Why Sirs I pray deal plainly with me and with your selves Are you willing to come in good earnest Speak and I le speak If you be I dare say of you young or old rich or poor as of any of the Saints of God already converted All we like Sheep have gone astray Mark that we and all we And the Lord hath laid upon him all the iniquity of us all and we have turned every one to his own way And bear their burthen for them and yet the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Isai 53.6 O! that as all of us have thus gone out of the way we might all of us come up out of the wilderness leaning upon our Beloved CHAP. VII Containing the discovery of the Point in three Queries Qu. 1. What advantages Satan hath to bewilder Souls 1. From our selves our hearts are a Wilderness proved and applied THus much for the doctrinal proof of the Point Discovery of the Point in three Queries 1. What advantages Satan hath to bewilder poor souls We come now to further discoverie of what you have heard so fully so sadly proved I pitch upon these three Heads First what advantages Satan hath Secondly what pains he takes Thirdly what means he makes to bewilder poor souls And what first are Satans advantages The Apostle 2 Cor. 2.11 puts us on this Lest Satan saith he get an advantage of you for we are not ignorant of his devices It seems Satan is very carefull to take and to improve all advantage of poor souls And unto what Why unto his own devices called by the same Apostle Ephes 6.11 Wiles or Methods or as we englished bewildrings You must think the same thing to be intended in both places so then call them devices or bewildrings or bewildring devices which you will there is advantage that Satan hath and that Satan takes in order unto them There are two sorts of advantages that Satan hath 2. Sorts of advantages 1. Sort from our selves 2. Sorts of them as to the bewildring of poor souls From our selves some others from himself First from us There are two great advantages First our hearts naturally are a wilderness Secondly subject to tempt and lead us into the wilderness Therefore you may observe this difference of expression Somtimes God complains that they walk in the counsels of their own hearts So Ier. 7.24 they hearkened not c but walked in the counsels
it were upon his belly creeping and oringing to Eve and what 's the end of all but to turne their Eden into a Desart and their Paradice to a Wildernesse You may see this to be his posture in his instruments 'T is said of the wicked Psal 10.10 He croucheth and humbleth himselfe that the poor may fall by his strong ones 2ly You shall sometimes find him standing up 2. When erect when that posture shall bee more available to his purpose 1 Chro. 21.1 Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number the people Now what 's Satans drift in this Joab will give you an account of it in his demanding of the King verse 3. Asking the King why would he be a cause of trespasse to Israel Trespasse when doth a man doe that why you know when he turnes out of the way that he should goe in and goes in the ground wherein he should not goe then he is a trespasser Satans end therefore in standing up is to be a cause of trespasse unto Israel 3ly 3. When passant You shall sometimes find this Lyon passant Satan in a moving-posture Job 1.7 I come saith Satan from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it And why dost thinke doth Satan keepe such a walking up and downe in the earth but to keepe thee walking up and downe in the Wildernesse to turne as many as he meets out of the way and into the transgression as he did Eve and would have done Job here 4ly 4. When rampant You shall sometimes find this Lyon rampant Satan in a running and ranging posture as you heard as a roaring Lyon and going about c. and then saith the Apostle Be sure you keep your way it seemes his businesse will be to turne you out of it So that whatever posture thou art in Satan can keepe pace with thee If either thou lie in sinne or stand up to sin So then whatsoever posture thou art in Satan can keepe posture with thee It may be thou art a Crouching sinner that art not willing to sinne above-board as we say sub dio Why Satan will crouch to keepe thee company in thy dark and wildernesse Den and suit thine humour with such temptations It may bee thou art a Daring sinner and art not affraid to stand to it as Goliath that stood and defied the Armies of Israel and the God of Israel or as the proud presuming Pharisee that stood and prayed Why Satan will stand at thine elbow to strengthen thee in thy way If thou get up from creeping in sinne to stand to it Satan will get up as well as thou It may bee thou art a Rambling sinner Or ramble about in sinne thou must be first in this way and next in that thy vaine fancy runnes to and fro in the earth and thy wicked heart seekes up and downe for fresh delights and paths of sinne Why Satan will be thine attendant still his service shall be at thy command whilest thine rather is at his for he can goe up and downe and to and fro as well as thou Thou art as the Harlot Prov. 7. Now she is without now in the Corners of the streets her feet abide not in the house Why Satan will keepe thee company still It may be thou art a Ranting sinner Or rant run on in sinne that will go galloping to Hell as those Rom. 3. Whose feet were swift to shed blood and saith the Apostle They think it strange that you runne not with them into the same excesse of riot Why Satan can yet keepe pace with thee and suit his temptations to thee for he is a Rampant Lyon and thou and he art but in the wildernesse of sin together all this while Again If thou be either a crouching Saint Againe It may be the Lord hath begun his Worke upon thee and the spirit of bondage mâ—kes thee crouch under feare of Death and feare of Hell and feare of Conscience and feare of divine wrath and now thou beginnest to creepe out of the thickets of the wildernesse Now you shall finde Satan will crouch as low as thou canst crouch to meet thee with full breast either to turne thee back againe or to turne thee to the right hand or to the left or at least to stop thy progresse or if he can't doe one of these then to crush thee to pieces with loads of black temptations to blaspemous despair You whom God hath brought low when he began to bring you out of the wildernesse cannot I am sure forget the assaults of that couchant Lyon It may be God hath set thee upon thy feet Or a raised and standing Saint as the Spouse raised up under the Apple tree and thou hast got a little strength comfort and resolution for God and now thou thinkest to feele thy feet and without any doubt to be gone Truly Satan will now get up upon his feet too and stand as Rev. 12.4 before thee if he cannot beare thee downe againe yet to keep thee from stirring any farther Oh! whence are those wretched stops unto our resolutions whence is it that after we are upon our feet we move so slowly forward It may be God hath given thee a stirring Or a stirring or a moving Saint as well as a standing principle and thou must be up and downe in the wayes of God sometimes in this duty sometimes in that Why Satan can goe up and down as well as thou and will goe whither thou goest and all to bewilder thee in thy duties It may be God hath so farre enlarged thine heart Or an enlarged running Saint Satan can still keepe posture with thee as to run the waies of Gods Commandements Why truly now Satan must runne for it if he will doe any thing he must ply hard and fast with temptations and so he will bee sure to doe for hee is a Lyon rampant seeking whom hee may devoure 2ly Satan sometimes changes personages 2. Head All his personatings and all the paines that he industriously takes under different persons is to turn poor soules out of the way You have him sometimes as a Lawyer at the Bar sometimes as a Minister in the Pulpit sometimes as a Souldier in the field 1. As a Lawyer at Barre First You shall finde Satan sometimes acting the part of a Lawyer at the Barre And what is the business of a corrupt Lawyer is the business of Satan that set him on worke 'T is said Amos 2.7 They turne aside the way of the meeke that is in judgement If a man be not of a contentious spirit though he be in the way of right yet his way is turned aside so Amos 5.12 They take a bribe they turne aside the poor from their right This is Satans very businesse to turne poore soules as a Lawyer out of the way of their right And have you never seen a corrupt Lawyer sweat at
the dark valley of the shadow of death It deceived me how is that truly thus much I can say to it from the experience that I have had of poore soules in such a condition Darkning us that their sense of their sinne hath beene more then true even greater in some respect then their sinne Consult with Paul who tells you here that he was deceived but doth not tell you wherein 1 Tim. 1.15 Christ came to save sinners saith he of whom I am chiefe Why how could that bee Paul was before Conversion a sober blamelesse man as touching the Law Phil. 3.6 Zealous according to his light if you urge his persecuting of the Church why still there are as great if not much greater sinners then he for 1 Tim 1.13 He did it ignorantly Yet still when the Law stirres up the sence of sinne as encompassing poore Paul this is that that kills him that he is the chiefe of sinners Thus is it with our poore hearts Oh! when we see the brightnesse and glory of the Law of the Lord how Holy and just and good it is and how vile and sinfull and abominable our selves are Oh! never was there any sinne like ours never any guilt like ours What sinne against such meanes as I against such light as I against such mercies as I against such calls of Grace as I Oh! never any one sinned as I have done Yes friend thinke as bad of thy selfe as thou wilt others as sinfull as thou have gone before thee Now this is one bewildring darknesseâ— in the fence of sinne which may more humble then hurt you I would many were allured into this wilderness this day But now comes Satan as I said before Darkning that splendor of Gods mercy unto us and his businesse is to raise the darksome fogges of thy selfe-condemning and soul-bewildring thoughts yet higher so as not onely to bedarken all that is within thee but to cloud the face of mercy and to obscure the glory of Christs undertakings by the black guilt of thy sinnes Here is a worse deceiving by the sense of sin through Satans temptation and this makes the formes Wildernesse much more bewildring and the poore lost Creature ten thousand times more at a loss then it was before when the soule comes to see its sinnes greater then any other sinnes of the Children of men Satan striketh in and takes advantage to make it account its sinnes greater then any of Gods pardons and this is a deceiving indeed unto slaying and such I believe was the dark bewildring sence that Cain and Judas had of their sinnes take heed take heed of this deceipt in your sensibleness of your sinnes and yet even in this dark wilderness are many deare unto God for a season left and as it were lost till God come and speake comfortably unto them I can give you two eminent instances both of mine owne knowledge Instance The one was when I was a little one A rich man was walking and there comes a poor Creature to him with death in his face and begges of him some reliefe the man was an hard man and denyed the poor wretch importunes and through importunity prevailes thus farre saith the rich man come to my house to morrow and I will give you something Oh! sir saith the poore one I shall die before morning if I have not something to succour me this night yet could not the Rich man be then prevailed with that very night the begger dyed was sound dead the next morning the Rich man laies this to hear as I confess well he might was so terrified that for much time not the least comfort could be fastned on him but never was any guilt or sinne like his by night he was faine to have constant company and Candles burning with him and it would frequently cry out That now the Devill was ready to seize on him He was through providence brought unto a godly Minister where I was and to whom I was related I being little was left in the roome when the Minister and he were together Oh! it would have broken any heart that had the least of tendernesse to see the poore man what paines he tooke to load himselfe with misery and to obstruct the way of mercy and this was the upshot of all never was there such a Murtherer as he that obtained mercy I remember for the afflicted mans carriage made the discourse take more impression on me the Minister instanced in Davids Murther and aggravated it what a man David was of what profession under what mercies c. and what a man Uriah was a godly man a faithfull subject a publique spirited man c. and what a murther it was known wilfull devised plotted longed for and pleasing to David when accomplished and yet I remember would not that poore man bee perswaded but that his sinne was farre greater then Davids and so such as God would not pardon although at length it pleased God by that Minister to fasten some comfort on him Instance The other was mine owne experience also not long since Indeed the good woman desired me for Caution unto others concealing her to take some occasion to speake of the thing Her great sinne for which shee thought there was no mercy no pardon was a lie and on this manner she was private at duty in a roome that was said to be haunted as the phrase is in the night and there came by the Chamber doore a man of the house that hearing some stirring there asked her it being very dark whether she was there or no calling her by her name she being unwilling that hee should know that she used to be there of the suddaine answered that it was not she he urged her again and again she denyed At length the man halfe affrighted prayed her as ever she look'd for mercy from God that she would tell him if it were she and shee being much moved and yet unwilling through the strength of the present temptation to unsay what she had spoken denyed it yet again I thus farre agreed with her that it was indeed a very great sinne and deeply to be sorrowed for but her language was that it was the greatest sinne that ever was committed and that there could be no mercy for her because she had denyed the mercies of the Lord. I instanced in Peters denial of Christ once twice thrice till it came to cursing and swearing and perfect disowning of his Saviour I know not the man I aggravated it from Peters solemne profession of Christ his engagement not to deny him c. and yet notwithstanding he obtained mercy But for all I could say I could not for the present perswade the woman but that her denyall was a farre greater sinne then Peters and though she believed that there was mercy for him and salvation for him that declaredly denyed his Saviour yet could I not perswade her that there was any mercy for her who as
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
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
assent to this truth thou must needs infer that it is a tyring travaile 2ly Only beds of thornes to rest upon Secondly As wearying as the wayes are so when ever thou comest to lye down at night you have but tyring entertainment in the wayes of sinne and nature He travailes with paine all the day and this saith God You shalâ— have of mine hand you shall lye down in sorrow Isai 50.11 Oh! how wearying must it needs be to travaile in sinne and then when we have done to lie downe in sorrow 'T is want of sence in thee not of truth in these Scriptures that thou dost not thus feel it for the present but there is time enough before thee for thee to know it in 3ly From experience Thirdly For Experience I shall appeale to Heaven to Earth to Hell to all things Created or uncreated God Men and all other Creatures for their Vote herein 1. Gods owne experiedce Your wildernesse wayes have wearied him First I shall appeale to the experience of God himselfe what ever the matter is that thou art not weary of thy Christlesse wayes there 's enough in them all in the best of them all to weary God himselfe Hear him speak First There is enough in thy worst waies Isai 43.24 Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities It may be so saith some selfe-righteous One with the wicked God may be angry and with their iniquities be wearied but surely not with my services with my devotions Yes Yea even the best of them 2. With thy best services Isai 1.13 14. Your Oblations New Moons Sabbaths solemne services Though these were Gods own appointments they are saith God a trouble to me I am weary to beare them Secondly I appeal to the experience of all men 2ly Experience of al men as soon as they come but to understand things as they are whether Noahs Dove or his Raven I meane the best or the worst of men First For the Saints they can say I dare say for them 1. Saints experience that the Lord made them weary of other things as a man would be of carrying a load of dross or a burthen of dung when Gold or Silver is offered unto them in their stead Phil. 3.8 or as a childe that would quickly be weary of its lapfull of stones when one comes and offers it an apron-full of plums 2dly For the worst of men Those that are in Hell 2y Experience of the worst of men have already found they that are yet on this side Hell shall quickly find what weariness there is in the wayes of sinne and vanity Isai 2.20 In that day that is the day of Conviction shall a man cast his Idols of Gold and his Idols of Silver which they have made each one for himselfe Mark that every mans particular Corruptions and beloved lusts to the Moles and to the Bats that is they shall be utterly weary of them let who will take up their trade after them they 'l follow it no longer Thirdly I appeale to all other Creatures 3ly Experience of the whole Creation all wearied under the burthen of sinne even this whole Creation I tell you that the Sun is tyred in its Orbe with beholding the abominations of the Children of men by day and the Moon and the Stars in their courses by seeing their works of darknesse in the night I tell you the Earth would sink under you as it did under Corah Dathan and Abyram as weary to beare the burthens of your sins if the Lord would but give it a discharge Yea how doe the very houses of Clay that sinners dwell in spew them up and cast them forth in a few yeares as if weary of being so long possessed by them Yea how doth the very Gluttons and Drunkards stomack tell him to his face that it is weary of bearing his surfeiting and drunkennesse and therefore disburtheneth it selfe upon the ground This is no Notion or Hyperbole of mine but a very expresse truth of God and so to be by you laid to heart Rom. 8 20. The Creature was made subject to vanity And we know ver 22. that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in paine together untill now The very Heavens are weary of covering and the Earth of bearing wretched sinners and their continuall groan in their kind unto God is Oh! when shall there be an end of sinning Oh! when shall we be delivered verses 19.21 2ly Aggravated Your not being weary when you are wearied a symptom of spiritual death Secondly Is it so that there is so much in sinne to weary thee and yet thou art not weary truly this is the most dangerous and mortall symptome that can be imagined As it is the saddest signe of a red-sea ruine to be humbled so often with Pharoah and yet not to come once to be humble so it is for thee to be so often wearied by sinne and never to become once weary of it Sinners I dare appeale as the last appeale unto you Consciences even such as they are whether you have not often wearied your selves with drinking drabbing c although you were never yet weary of the sin for the kind yet wearied by the sin in the act Thus those wretched Sodomites who were now near a double Hell even first an Hell from Heaven and then an Hell in Hell Gen. 19.11 They wearied themselves to find the doore wearied yet not weary And wilt thou not be weary Yes friend thou must and thou shalt be weary onely thy wearinesse shall be when times of refreshing shall not be but when thy case is beyond Cure thus was Moab and oh let every one of us all take up that lamentation from the mouth of the Prophet Isai 16.11 My bowels shall sound like an Harpe for Moab and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh Why what 's the matter ver 12. It shall come to passe when it is seene that Moab is weary on his high place that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray but he shall not prevaile Oh! now father Abraham one drop of refreshing water to coole my tongue but it shall not be granted 'T is said of the Grave that there the weary be at rest but the quite contrary shall be said of Hell Oh! sirs you are not weary enough to drinke in the waters of refreshments to day I had almost said here is much water and little or no thirst there shall be thirst enough such as it will be but no water When a sick man hath been a long time tossing his wearied body on this side of the bed first and then on that and after all these weariednesses come to lye still and stupid and senslesse of any wearinesse what doe we I pray you reckon this but the sleepe of death When wretched sinners come to be wearied with every sinne so that the Lord can say they weary themselves and yet their cursed hearts can say We are not weary eternall death is in
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
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
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
though thou hast been an Underling in Aegypt an Inhabitant of the Wildernesse who hast wrought among the Bricks and lyen among the Pots and gone among the Thornes and trod upon Serpents Art thou in Christ thou and now going homeward to the heavenly Canaan the Rest of Gods people to the Jerusalem that is ABOVE and is TREE Above Aegypt its Brick-kiln and Fleshpots Earth and all its allurements and all their embitterments Above Pharoah and his Hosts Satan and his Instruments above he Wilderness windings and woundings of sinne And therefore thou shalt be FREE from feares from falls from sinne from sorrowes from the Death of the Body and from the Body of Death and from all the evill that is in the World and from the world of Evill that is in the heart The Gulfe shall be fixed and thou shalt be free'd and though these would passe over to thee they shall not be able The Aegyptians that followed thee thou shalt see them no more for ever They followed thee but shall never finde thee There 's a Jordan betwixt thee and them which though it were dryed up before thee yet shall not be so for them to passe after thee Thine old Aegypt is on the other side of the Sea and thine old Wildernesse on the other side of the Flood The Waters shall returne and thine Enemies be cut off Where the Serpent found thee thou shalt leave Him even in the Wildernesse and where thou leavest the Serpent thou shalt leave the poyson and the sting even Satan and Sinne and Death together The first is a Murtherer the next is a Lyer the last is a Dogge that will grumble and snarle at thee but cannot hurt thee and without are Murtherers and Lyers and Dogs but within are true Israelites Feare not poore Convert that are crucified with Christ though a Prisoner among men and condemned of the World where thy legges are broken thy supports taken away the way that thou art in is life as well as Way and the sooner men breake thy legges the more hast shalt thou make to suppe with Christ in Paradice Yea thou art a stranger and strangely dealt with as in a strange Land Art thou but in Christ thou art going homeward to thine owne Country and to the house of thy friends to the Spirits of thy dear deceased Relations that are now made perfect There is Eunice thy Mother and Lois thy Grandmother if thou be a Timothy Yea Jesus himselfe will doe the Right of a Kinsman unto and will owne thee in the Gates of Heaven and before the Elders of thy people Then shalt thou that wast afraid to glean after the Reapers possesse the whole joyes of the Harvest and thou that wast afraid to uncover his feet shalt lye then in his bosome and thou shalt be ever with the Lord. And now who is there among you that are in Christ as the way to this Rest and have Christ in you as the hope of his Glory can hear of this home without desire to be dissolved and to depart if the Lord would let you to this rest in peace And yet this is but a little of that that may be spoken and all that may be spoken is but a little of that that shall be made good unto you when you come at home This is but a short Pisgaprospect of the promised Land which your owne life keepes you out of possession of These are but a few of the clusters of Canaan that are brought you for a taste by a poore Spye lest any of you should have evill thoughts of the good Land and so take up on this side Jordan but who shall reveale unto you what is the fruite of the Vine in your Fathers Kingdom This is but your Provision sent you to support you by the Way but who can Divine without Josephs Cup what a Land is that Goshen whence these Provisions come This is but the Raine that filles your Pooles in the Vale of Baca but who can tell you how it shall bee with you when you appeare before the Lord in Sion This is but Mount Tabor 't is Mount Sion that is your dwelling place and there is the City of the living God there are the innumerable companies of Angells the Church of the first born and Jesus the Mediator And if to thinke of these things seriously while wee are at home in the Body make this home an Heaven sure it will be good for us to be where this Heaven shall be our home This is the Inheritance of the Saints in light the Inheritance incorruptible and that fadeth not away but is reserved in the Heavens for them This is their Habitation made but not with hands and purchased but not with money This is their Rest prepared by Christs travailes their life purchased by his Death the joy of the Lord dearely paid for by that Man of sorrowes their Glory bought by his shame their true Riches gained through his povertie the Kingdome wonne for them by his subjection the blessing obtained through his being made as a Curse for them Oh! thanks be to God for his unspeakable GIFT This is the HOME whereunto Christ is the WAY In and By whom whilest the Ransomed of the Lord come up from the Wildernesse they shall obtaine joy and gladnesse and sorrow and sighing shall flee away Wherefore you see deare Brethren partakers of the heavenly Calling that there is a promise left us of entering into his Rest .. Let us therefore feare lest any of us should seeme to come short Heb. 4.1 The Lord hath this day shewne you the good way and hath said unto you Walke in it and you shall finde Rest to your soules Jer. 5.16 But now if any of you shall answer as they in the next verse We will not walk therein Know of a surety that every soule that goes Christlesse goes both Guidelesse and waylesse and therefore shall never find this Heavenly habitation I cannot say but Christlesse sinners have got as many Guidles as there are SATYRS and as many waies as there are windings in the Wildernesse and they also make hast to their own home for Judas who hanged himself is said to go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to his own place Act. 1.25 But alas as is the difference of the Waies so of the Homes the waies differ as Darknesse and light and the Homes as Hell and Heaven He that is in Christ goes home to be comforted but the Christlesse to be tormented he to his good things but thou O wretch from thy good things Hee dies to live thou diest to die He descends as to his body that he may ascend thou ascendest as to thy spirit which returns to God that gave it to give sentence on it that thou maist descend and go down into Hell for ever He may complain Abroad the sword bereaveth but thou shalt lament At home there is as death he cannot say so As death I say but worse thou death Where thou shalt