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
acquaintance as a new Creature that is spoken of Job 22.21 and that is as saith the Apostle by being in Christ As for any others The Lord that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Isai 27.11 It would be sad believing if poor souls have no better promises then this to leane unto Secondly 2ly Leaning upon the providence of God If thy leaning stock be onely some latter acquaintance with God in his outward providence And believe it with very many this goes very far What do you think that God that hath given me such prosperity will in the end damn me I have a faire portion of outward things shall all this love end in eternall hatred Nay when I was in great streights God gave me great deliverances when I was at deaths door in such a sickness c. and do you thinke he will now cast me into hell Verily for ought I know he may and if thou have no more to lean unto I know he will You have an eminent passage a providence to a miracle yea to heaps of miracles Psal 78.23 He opened the door of heaven gave them Corn of heaven vers 24. Angels food meat to the full vers 25. He rained flesh as dust and feathered foul as the sand upon the Sea shore vers 27. He gave them their own desire vers 29. Yet while the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them verses 30.31 Mark First Whilst it was in their mouthes Secondly The fattest of them Ah! friends many times fair pasture is a foul sign You your selves litter and fodder those Cattel best that you intend for the slaughter soonest Go to therefore rich men lament and howl and let your joy be turned into weeping if you have nothing but this worlds good to lean unto as a token of Gods love for the present or your owne salvation for the future Thirdly If Civility be thy leaning stock 3ly Leaning upon Civility Of this I spake before as a way and therefore shall onely set a brand of it here that you may know it againe to be a rotten Pillar an house with a sandy foundation if you lean unto it will not stand All these have I done from my youth Mat. 19.20 saith the civil young man yet went a way with a sad heart for all he had his Crurch of civility and riches to boote to lean upon Fourthly 4ly Leaning upon religious duty If thy leaning be upon thy religious exercises of this also as some mens way before This sirs stood by the Pharisee and he thought he might stand by it Lu. 18.11 He stood and prayed Let such a soule read Isai 1. For all their duties and the multitudes thereof the Lord bitterly rejects them as the men of Sodom and people of Gomorrah vers 10. And tells them he is weary of their services verses 11.14 Calls them vain Oblattions vers 13. And sure if it be vanity to bring them then how much more vanity to lean upon them 5ly Leaning upon adventures for God or successes therein Fifthly If thou leane upon thine Adventures for God yea though thou hast had prosperous successes therein Many many lean here and with a great deal of confidence too Come see my zeal for the Lord saith Jehu Many that fight the Cananites c. the Lords enemies many that fight the Lords battels shall never come to possesse the Lords Canaan and truly we would thinke it great pitty that any should make such fair adventures and doe God such eminent service and that the Devil should pay them their eternal wages yet so too often it is in those that think themselves and indeed are eminent instruments in the Lords hand as Cyrus as Jehu as the Earth helping the woman against the Dragon Rev. 12. Nay perhaps eminent dispencers of the Gospel to others yet come themselves to be cast away My beloved I tremble to think what singular adventures they were engaged in what signal successe they had how confidently they leaned hereunto how miserably their Pillar shrunk from under them when they leaned upon it and easily gave way to their going downe into hell Mat. 7.22 Many shall say to me in that day marke 't is not a rare instance this is a common leaning stock Lord Lord there is confidence Have we not prophesied in thy name there is the adventure and in thy name have cast out Devils there is successe and in thy name done many wonderfull works there is the quantity of the adventures and quality of the successes And what followes vers 23. And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me you that work iniquity Ah! friends this may make the best hearâ— in our bosomes ake if we have no more to leane to then this to be able to say I have been in these many battels for God and Religion I have preached so many Sermons and done so much service in the Gospel when all the worke is done the Lord will not know us that is acknowledge us so as to pay us any other wages then the wages of iniquity Sixthly If thou leane unto thy Church-priviledges 6ly Leaning upon Church-priviledges If thou presume that thou art alive because thou hast a name to live and that surely God accepts thee because men thinke well of thee thou art judged worthy of Gospel-seales and to be admitted into Gospel-fellowship c. And is this that which thou leanest unto Verily this is but a rotten pillar Sardis had a name to live but was dead Rev. 3.1 And God saith expresly Jer. 7.4 Trust ye not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these That is Leane not to this if you doe you will find it a lye it will deceive you vers 8. Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit Nay read that Tremendous passage Amos 6.1 Wo be unto them that are at ease in Sion that trust in the Mountain of Samaria that are named the chief of the Nations unto whom the house of Israel came c. Sirs It is priviledge unspeakable and blessed are they that dwell in the house of the Lord but if there be any of you that shall grow lazy and at ease because they are in Sion in a Church-way and therefore thinke they are wel enough leaning unto the Mountain of Samaria wo wo unto such a soul Seventhly Repentances and Reformations 7ly Leaning upon repentance some Reformations are but rotten supports if leaned unto They in Isai 58. Leaned so much to their humblings that they wondred God did not accept them vers 3. Wherefore have we afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge And in very deed they leaned so much that God wonders that they should once thinke that he would accept them ver 5. Wilt thou call this a
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
thy good husbandry shall never save thee thy fruit lives and dies grows and rots with thee the Lord complains of thee Hos 10. 1. Israel is an empty vine he brings forth fruit to himself Though he be never so fruitful yet is he empty if onely fruitful to himself though thou be never so like a fruitful garden yet I will count thee a barren wilderness if onely fruitful to thy self Thirdly If the wilderness be fruitful unto men 3. Wilderness brings forth to the fornace it is for fuel not for food for their chimney not their table the fruit of the wilderness is thorns and bryers bad food but good fuel such are the fruits of sin they are thorns Cant. 2.2 As the lily among the thorns that is the saint among sinners such God will not set upon his table but surely put them into his fornace Heb. 6.8 That earth which bears thorns and bryars he speaks it of a sinful Apostate is rejected and nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned Me thinks your souls within you should tremble Tell me now what fruit do you use to bring forth good or wilde Every tree that brings not forth good fruit t is a wilderness tree shall be cut down and cast into the fire Mat. 3.10 Think again to whom hast thou brought forth fruit to God or thy self If onely to thy self thou art still a wilderness and you know how God threatneth Israel who onely looks after himself his children and his own family without any taking notice either of God or Gods Hos 9.16 17.10 1. Oh! what wilt thou be able to answer God another day thou that hast been a wilderness unto God here when the Lord shall minde thee of all the fruit which his mercy and providence hath brought forth unto thee Beloved you have a sad condition Jer. 2.31 Have I been a wilderness unto Israel The conviction is this O Israel thou hast been a wilderness unto me thou hast brought me forth no fruit or if grapes behold wilde grapes Have I been a wilderness unto thee that thou shouldest so serve me hath not my Sun shined and my rain on thee fallen O England England think of this of all the Nations of the world we cannot say the Lord hath been a wilderness unto us and yet what a wilderness what a barren wilderness have we that are called the garden of the world been to the Lord to this very day O read Jer. 9.9 10 11 12 13. I fear the Lord means England there If a sinner be fruitful t is a fruit unto death Rom. 7.5 2. Wilderness dry and moistureless Secondly The wilderness is drie and moistureless so is sin Psalm 107.35 The wilderness and dry ground are made all one so Jer. 50.12 A wilderness a dry land Hos 2.3 I le make her a wilderness and set her as a dry land Zeph. 2.13 I le make Ninevoh a desolation and dry like a wilderness and therefore you have mention of the heath of the wilderness Jer. 48.6 and 17.6 And so it is with sin Our Savior compares a sinner under mercy unto parched ground under seed Mat. 13.6 good seed is sown in parched grounds and for lack of moistures there it dies the dew falls upon parched grounds and for lack of a principle of moisture in themselves doth them no good the Sun shines upon them and scorcheth them quite up This word is to you ye parched consciences ye feared sinners from whose hard hearts and dry eyes all the judgements of God mercies of God Gospel of God cannot squeeze one tear of godly sorrow Oh! how hath the Lord in these times crumbled the scorched consciences of men to pieces yet how few are melted The Lords people are a melting people Psalm 22.14 My heart is like wax it is melted within my bowels a great difference their heart is like wax other mens like the wilderness The more the Sun shines upon the wax the more it softneth it the more it shines upon the wilderness the more it scorcheth and hardens it Now speak soul Art thou like wax under a judgement a mercy a sermon or art thou like a wilderness Hast thou a relenting giving mourning melting heart or art thou as hard as dry as parched as ever or more then before thou art a wilderness thou maist finde thy character 1 Tim. 4.2 Thy conscience is a seared conscience and what do men do with feared Trees Hew them down saith the owner why cumber they the ground if fear-wood be fit for the fornace surely such seared consciences are fit for hell A Chymicks Limbeck they say will extract moisture out of seared sticks and hardest stones Gods Limbeck will melt thee O thou seared sinner whether thou wilt or no time shall come that the Elements shall melt with fervent heat then shall the wilderness melt even thy soul Jer. 9.12 compared with Isaiah 35.1 CHAP. III. Containeth the Explication of the third and fourth consideration shewing the dismalness of wilderness sin because solitary and companionless desolate and provisionless 3. Wilderness solitary THirdly The wilderness is solitary and companionless so is the wilderness of sin This wilderness is companionless mistake me not I do not say its void of passengers but void of company there are upon this road too many catch-poles and cut-throats as you shall hear more when we come to open the destructiveness of the way there are not wanting Lions and Leopards and Dragons and Bears and Wolves and wilde Boars and wilde Bulls but there is no company for a man as Job 38.26 It is termed The wilderness where there is no man There you may meet with beasts savage beasts that make it their business to destroy one another and thee too but saith the Text There is no man there So in the ways of sin you may meet with Devils and Drunkards Whoremongers Sabbath-breakers Murtherers Thieves and Hypocrites that make it their business to destroy one anothers souls and thine too but thou shalt meet with no good company to comfort thee to direct thee No God Psal 5.4 No Christ or Spirit 2 Cor 6.15 No Angel Psalm 34.7 No Saint Gen. 49.6 to secure thee no not in all the wilderness no God no Christ no holy Spirit there no good Angel no Saint so far as sanctified Oh! what dismal travelling is here here 's scrieching of Owls and the howling of Dragons the roaring of Lions the bellowing of Bulls the yelling of Wolves but not the voice of one Man here 's roaring and swearing and lying and cursing and blaspheming and back-biting and evil-speaking but not a prayer not a thanksgiving not a gracious word Oh! think what a terror it would be unto you to travel amongst wilde ravenous beasts all your days such are sinners scriprure usually terms them so Lions and Bulls of Bashan wilde Boars of the forest wilde Asses of the wilderness Beasts of Ephesus they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1.31 that is
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
to fill the face of the world with fruits ver 6. What canst thou that seest thy soul a wilderness desire more Now I beseech you mark if you would effectually take hold upon Christ for such a change from a thorny wilderness into a blossoming budding fruitful garden you must see Christ to be Gods strength noâ— onely to make peace for your souls but to work fruitfulness in your souls We have also another full Scripture Isa 51. God promiseth to turn the wilderness into Eden and the desert into his own garden now how shall this be effected verse 4. you have Christ represented as a light to the people verse 5. you have his plain names righteousness and salvation but now how shall the people share in such salvation as shall make them of a wilderness to become a garden of the Lord Why on mine arm that 's Christ shall the isles trust You must then discover Christ to be that strength yea that arm of God by which the Lord turns the desert into Eden or else though you be a desert you will not care for leaning upon Christ 3. Laying our burthens of barrenness c upon Christ Thirdly Leaning imports the casting of our burthens of barrenness and fearedness c. upon that strength whereon we lean If you would then so lean upon Christ as to come up from your wilderness-like state then you must lay the burthens of your barrenness your dryness your desolateness your leanness your wastness upon Christ and verily to encourage you you should know that Christ was for this very business sent into the wilderness of this world that he might bear all the burthens of poor bewildred broken-hearted sinners Lev. 16.21 Aaron shall confess all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions that 's their bewildrings their goings aside in their sins putting them upon the head of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness and the goat shall bear upon him their iniquities unto a land not inhabited and he shall let go the goat into the wilderness How and if we should expound it thus Christ in his resurrection was this scape-goat or his Divinity in which he could not see death and by which he was raiâ—ed after death though as man he was the sin-offering goat mentioned verse 15. Israels bewildrings what else mean you by transgressions are charged upon his score from Israel he is sent by a fit man that 's the Gospel-minister who should be apt that 's fit to teach this Gospel into a land not inhabited so ordinarily are the Gentiles in respect of the then ordinances of God represented and there even in this wilderness is he let go this salvation is free to us a poor wilderness in respect of the Jews as well as to them If I mistake in the place I am sure I mistake not in the thing you sinners saith my Text are in the wilderness and Christ the scape-goat saith that Text is there also if you meet him lay your burthens upon him I speak to such as are lost his business his errand in coming thither is to beaâ— your transgressions Isa 53.4 Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows yea upon him they are ver 5. yea upon him the Lord hath laid them ver 6. Art thou unable to carry thine own grievances and to bear thine own barrenness fear not 4. Receiving strengâ—h from Christ 〈◊〉 a change onely believe lay them in the humility of thy soul upon thy Savior he will he can bear them for thee Lastly Leaning imports a deriving of strength and power from that upon which we lean in order to that upon which we lean Would you then so lean upon Christ as to come out of your wilderness Take hold upon Gods strength so long till your bryars and thorns be rooted up and the word have taken a new root brought forth new buds new blossoms new fruit Isa 27.5 6. yea till thy whole conversation be filled therewith Oh! but saith the soul how shall that be Query that 's it I would have Oh! how should I so lean upon Jesus Christ I cannot see him I cannot finde him I would come out of the wilderness leaning upon him yea I sought him but I found him not Oh! saw you my beloved whither is he gone whither is he turned aside Poor soul thy beloved is gone down into the gardens Answ to the beds of the spices to the covenant to the promises the covenant is the garden the promises are the beds of spices Oh! thither is Christ gone there seek him and thou shalt find him Christ is engaged unto thee if the promises be improved by thee to make thee of a wilderness to become a gaâ—den In general you have many glorious promises of this importance Isa 51.3 The Lord shall comfort Zion how is that Oh! there is comfort indeed the Lord will make her wilderness like Eden this word be spoken unto you O ye wilderness-like souls and what can comfort you if this word do not Before you had Gods strength mentioned here you have it engaged lean therefore and take hold upon it Isa 35.1 The wilderness shall be glad it shall rejoyce even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon how is that they shall see the glory of the Lord and what then strengthen then the week hands and feeble knees c. Who sees not that this is spoken to poor souls to wilderness-like souls so the Psalmist speaking of Gods turning the wilderness into a standing water and dry ground into water springs Psalm 107. cries out vers 36. and there he makes the hungry to dwell c. souls that are not onely lean but hungry not onely such as are in misery and lost but that see their misery there he makes them to dwell in happpiness and plenty verse 37.38 1. Promises to the barren wilderness But more particularly thou complainest thou art a barren wilderness and thy souls desire is to be made a fruitful garden urge those promises Isa 35. the desert shall blossom as a rose there 's the quality it shall blossom sweetly ver 1. and as for quantity it shall blossom abundantly ver 2. and in the habitation of dragon where each lay shall be grass ver 7. Isa 27. whosoever take hold of his strength he shall cause them to take root to blossom to bud to fill the face of the world with fruit vers 6. Psalm 107. there that 's in the wilderness he makes the hungry to dwell ver 36. and sow fields and plant vineyards which may yield their increase 2. Promises to the dry wilderness Thou complainest thou art a dry and seared wilderness others can weep for their sins thou canst not others can mourn for the afflictions of Joseph thou canst not rivers of tears run down the eyes of others because men keep not
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
to his Minister or to his Conscience that should be his Guide goe you out of the way and turne aside You need not take paines to tempt the tempter hee can tempt you fast enough without being tempted by you Secondly If Satan take such paines to bewilders us 2. Exhortation to become laborious unto God in the keeping of our way let those that hear me this day become a laborious people to the Lord. I remember what the Poet saith Ut jugulent homines surgunt de nocte latrones Ut â—eipsum serves non expergisceris Shall theeves take paines to kill men and not men to keep themselves shall Satan take paines to get you into or to keep you in the Wildernesse and not you to get or to keep your way withstand my brethren Encouragemeet herunto in the evill day and when you have done all stand Eph. 6.13 Alas saist thou this I should doe but this I know not how to do I am afraid to stand it out against Satan We shall have Gods armour and strength If I be but in the dark or alone Oh! how shal I doe to stand or keep my way Why to this the Apostle tells you ver 10. be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might ver 11. Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand The Lord Christ hath taken as much pains to secure thee in thy way as Satan can to turne thee aside If thou with a whip be afraid to adventure to turne an armed man out of the way yet when a stronger then he shall come and not onely arme thee but second thee not only give thee whole armor but his whole strength is laid out for thee of whom shouldst thou now be a friend Take faith for a shield and hope for an helmet and the word for a sword and Christ for thy strength and what can Satan do unto thee Never were paines taken by Satan against thee but the Lord Christ hath taken as great yea greater to secure thee If Satan creep Christ was humbled If Satan rise up upon his feet Christ also is risen If Satan walk to and fro up and down in the Earth You know Christ hath done as much and his eyes doe as much continually If Satan run and range to devour surely Christ will make hast to deliver Again If Satan turn Lawyer at the Bar to turne thy faith or prayer or title or right to Heaven out of the way and stand at Iosuahs right hand to resist Iosuah Christ the Angell will bee sure to stand at the Devills right hand to resist him and to say the Lord rebuke thee Satan Zech. 2.2 the Lord said the Lord rebuke thee that is I am perswaded the Lord Christ said so to the Lord God the Father If Satan take the paines of a Minister in Pulpit to deceive thee Christ who is annointed a Prophet and preacher of the Gospell of truth will take much more pains to undeceive thee If Satan as a Souldier fight against thee Christ did undertake as thy Protector with his whole strengh and armory as you have heard to secure thee Again If Satan wait either on God or thee that hee might have thee to tempt thee Christ doth wait with more carefulnesse upon both to pray for thee that thy faith faile not So saith himself Luk. 22.32 and thus as Satan watcheth you Christ watcheth Satan If Satan hunt after you to take you in his snare Christ will also pursue and hunt after Satan to take him in his own snare And so Satan shall be reserved in chaines for ever Jude 6. If Satan wrestle with you and you fear lest you should get the fall know Christians that Christ hath already wrestled with him and prevail'd when Satan would have cast him down from the pinnacle of the temple the Lord Christ threw him down into the bottomlesse pit therefore what ever paines Satan takes hee is stil but a Lyon in his grate or a chain'd bear to those that are strong in the strength of Jesus Christ therefore resist him stedfast in the faith CHAP. XIII Contains the third Querie what are the meanes of Soul-bewildrings unfolded in the generall particular false waies opened WEE come in the third and last place to consider Discovery of the Point in the third Querie What the meanes of soul-bewildrings are What are the meanes of the bewildring of soules Surely all the meanes that can be used shall be improved by Satan hereunto He that will take all paines as you have heard of Satan in the last will also use all means that may be conducible to his end I remember Pauls ardent care for the Thessalonians 1 Thes 3.5 for this cause when I could no longer forbear I sent to know your faith lest by any means as the originall well bears the tempter may have tempted you Satan will make use of any means whatsoever unto the bewildring of poor souls Friends you must therefore pardon us if we exhort seriously and advise sollicitously and reprove cuttingly and sharply if wee cannot forbear doing so you must bear with us for wee are necessitated as Paul here hereunto because by any means the tempter will be tempting you Satan will make use of means of any means of all means now all the means observe that he useth as a tempter he useth to bewilder soules Compare that scripture with the fore quoted 1 Tim. 2.14 You know Satan made use of any means lying means flattering meanes deluding means to tempt Eve and this text expresseth it as you heard thus she being led out of the way went out of the way So that Satans tempting meanes are all of them bewildring means Four kinds Now there are four kinds of means of our Ordinary bewildrings I shall for your Memory-sakes observe that Method 1. Many false waies 1. Saith one such a time I was travelling and I came to a turning where there were many waies and sâ— I lost my right way 2. Man false guides 2. Saith another such a time I was travailing and I met with such or such a man and hee told mee such and such a way was my way and seduced me 3. Darkness 3. Saith a third such a time I was travailing and night came so fast on and it grew so darke that by reason of the darknesse I lost my way 4. False light ignes faâ—ui 4. And saith a fourth I was travailing such a night and kept my way till at length a light flasht and danced about me and by following the light I lost my way So that multitude of waies falshood of Guides You have Satans temptation therefore called the coming on of darknesse and meeting with fires or false lights are the usuall means of our bewildrings And surely something there is in it that Satans tempting-means or means of temptation are set forth sometimes by the one sometimes by the other For instance
Grace wrested Scripture 7th Guidance Seeming grace to turne us aside from true grace Instance SEventhly The next meanes of this sort that I shall name is Satans plotting to lead us out of the way of true and reall grace by the false guidance of seeming Grace I shall give you one instance There is not any Grace in the world that doth better accord with and more strengthen another then Faith and Humility doe mutually Yet is there not any thing whereby Satan turnes poore afflicted spirits more aside from the way of believing then the false guidance of pretensive humility As now when the soule lyeth convicted under the sence of its being in it selfe poore and wretched and miserable and blind and naked the soule hath nothing to doe next but to buy of Christ Gold tryed in the fire and white Rayment and Eyesalve c. that is whatsoever a lost sinner needs in order to salvation Rev. 3 17. And Christ tearms are without monie and without price Isai 55.1 So then such a soule is immediately enjoyned upon its allegiance to God whose Commandment it is That we should believe and upon righteous principles of Selfe-preservation freely to take as the waters of life are freely tendred and by acting faith upon a promise and with a bare hand to take hold and to leane upon Christ and so to come up from the Wildernesse Wilt thou then or wilt thou not speake thou that needest a Christ wilt thou have one Oh! saith the soule I would faine have a Christ I need him I see I am undone without him but I am naked ragged and ashamed to come to him in this dresse I am leprous and filthy my hands are not clean and I dare not with such hands take hold upon him Humility forbids me stay but till I have got better Clothes as some will say of their comming to Church and have washed my selfe and then I 'le com I am affraid and ashamed to come before And wilt thou stay from Christ till thou canst fit thy selfe for him even stay an eternity I le warrant thee thou'lt ne're be fit And is this humility thou lyest Satan 't is Pride and the height of it too even of Gospel-pride to thinke that without Christs Sumpter thou shalt be ever able to give Christ fit entertainment Soules call it humility to get something for a present for the Lord Christ as Jacob for his Lord Esau but this in thee is Pride as in him it was Policy Thou call'st it Humility but God calls it Pride Rom. 10.3 They have not submitted to the righteousnesse of God a sad word It s meere pride and stoutnesse and high-spiritednesse the wretched remainders of unbroken-heartednesse what ever Satan tells thee that onely is humility that makes thee intirely close with the Righteousness of faith with Christs Righteousnesse upon Christs own tearms 8th Guidance mistaken or wrested Scripture The eighth and last that I shall speake to is Satans bewildring us by the false guidance of mistâ—ken Scripture and this is now much in fashion and prevailing in the world Time was when ignorance was in fashion and for men to walke in blind pursuance of anothers supposed light So in Popish times many cared not for nor at all enquired into the Scripture Then for the Priest to doe as the Prelate did and the people as the Priest did was enough But our times have seene the Scriptures brought more into use and almost every one at least in profession will say as David and as it 's fit they should Psal 119.105 Thy word is a light unto my feet and a lanthorn to my paths Men will not now take things to bee so because the Minister said it but they will as the Bereans did search the Scripture and truly 't is not onely the use but the fashion now Now marke when Satan seeth that wee are so much for Scripture and that the way to bewilder us is by pressing Scripture truly as formerly hee laboured to suppresse it now he will presse it and oppresse it too Note as a Tyrant by plain torture to make the guiltlesse Scriptures to speake against themselves say you so saith Satan are you for light I 'le fit your turne by dressing my selfe as an Angell of light Satan will quote Scripture 2 Cor. 11.13 14. And thus by false glimmerings of the true but misrepresented light Satan turneth soules aside into the shady Thickets of the Wilderness even into Workes of darknesse When Satan had once observed that our Saviour kept so close to the guidance of scripture Mat. 4.4 It is written saith Christ that man lives not by bread onely Truly now Satan himselfe in the very next temptation will quote scripture too but curtelized and abused cast thy selfe downe for it is written he hath given his Angells charge to bear thee up c. abuse unsufferable â— for hee leaves out that clause that would have mar'd the logick of the temptation viz. he shall keep thee in all thy waies which casting himself down from the Pinacle could not be You have mention of some that wrest the Scriptures to their own perdition 2. Pet. 3.16 They turne the Scriptures out of the way that they themselves may with more security and freedom turn aside and this trade they take up as you see from their father the Devill I shall give you amongst many 1. An instance in two sorts of persons but a double instance the one of persons the other as to times For the first There are two sorts of persons both of which are bewildred First Such as either endeavour not at all or Secondly Such as if they doe endeavour trust to their endeavours Now Satan do usually pervert Scripture unto the seducing of them both First For such as labour not at all 1. Such as indeavour not at all Usuall iâ— is for such though they will not stand to the guidance of other places of the Scripture yet close to follow those which they mistake and carelesly to runne on in the waies of sin still There are some that never frequent Ordinances or take any paines either in publick or private with their own soules and ask them why they are so negligent in the weighty things of God and their own soules Why say they doe not the Scriptures themselves teach as Ioh. 6.44 that we cannot come to God except he draw us we do but stay for his drawing If we should take never so much paines all would do no good Without him we can do nothing as Joh. 15.5 and would you not have us stay for his coming If the spirit moveth us we shall pray and if God turn us we shall be turned and when God wills we shall believe and repent and till God please we by our endeavours can do nothing This is the language of many hearts and upon this their practice is to sit still and what is this other then to be quietly kept in the Lyons Den
soules Mat. 16.26 It runs What will it advantage if a man gaine the world and lose his own soule But Luk. 9.25 If he gaine the world and lose himselfe He that loseth his soule loseth himselfe You say Anima hominis homo the soule is the man sure here it must passe for current undoubtedly if thou have lost thy soule thou hast lost thy selfe The Prodigal was a jolly man whilst he was a lost Sonne but in the Lords eye and his owne when he came to be enlightned he was not an enjoyer of himselfe Luk. 15. v. 17. When he came that 's by repentance to himselfe he said 2. In the enjoyment of our soul 2. Lose all other things too we enjoy all things else If thou canst not say that thy soule is thine thou canst not say any thing else is thine therefore in losing thy soule thou hast lost all things else as 1. God is none of thine 1. Losest God Thus the Apostle expressing the unregenerate estate of the Ephesians Chap. 2.12 saith they were without God in the world Hence our ordinary phrase unregenerate ones are ungodly ones gracelesse ones are godlesse ones What my Brethren lost God Heaven and Earth tremble at this loss lost God there 's one word for all for God is all in all A Saint may say as Jacob said I have all Gen. 33.11 for so the Hebrew Text bears Qui habet habentem omnia habet omnia he hath all that hath him that hath all A Saint may say this is my wine and my wool and my flax and mine oyle for the Lord is my God and therefore Secondly Mammon is and shall be none of thine 2 Mammon Vaine men care not for losing their soules if that be the worst of it that they must lose God by it for they say unto God depart from us Vaine men care not for losing their soules so as that they may either get or save their Mammon But friend if thou lose thy soule that 's the way to lose thy Mammon also If thou canst not say thy soule is thine whose shall those things be when that is gone If thy soule be required this night of thee then whose shall these things be that thou hast provided Luk. 12.20 The lost Sonne was faine to rob the Swine to fill his belly with their husks Thou art a robber when thou takest either fleece or flesh from the poor sheep to feed thy belly or to cloath thy back and save that the sheep is dumb before the shearer and slaughterer it would cry out Robbery and Murder for it is more innocent then thou neither is it any of thine save onely by Gods permission and thine usurpation Therefore God saith as if thou usurpest his right I will recover my Wool and my Flax and take away my Corne and Wine Hos 2.9 if thy soul be not thine 2. Irreparable 2. The losse of the soule is an irreparable losse Mat. 16.26 To lose his soul Luk. 9.25 Or lose himselfe is to be cast away Oh! that 's a sad word such an one is cast away that is he is drown'd and sunk and buryed in the bottome of the Sea and can never be recovered any more A poor wretch that loseth his soule is cast away that is drown'd and sunck and buryed in the bottome of Hell for evermore If you have lost your Gold by hiding it in the Earth you may dig for it and find it but if you have lost your Gold in the bottome of the Sea 't is irrecoverably lost If thou losest a Wife or a Childe or an Estate c. these losses are recoverable or if God take away these he can for Counters give us Gold But if thou lose thy soule nothing can repaire that losse Mat. 16.26 VVhat shall a man give in exchange for his soule that is there is nothing so much worth as it nothing able to repaire the losse of it Set apart the inestimable righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus and it would utterly begger heaven and earth to repaire the losse of any one poore soule When we exchange our soules with any thing that this world can afford we are as a rich fool and much more foolish then he that gives away an exceeding great Estate for a painted Apple or guilded Nut. An hundred thousand times more then what he gets would not countervaile the one thing that he loseth 3. Eternal 3. It is an eternall losse because it is the losse of that which is immortal 'T is in the soule that the worme lives that never dyeth 'T is upon such a soule that the fire feedeth that never goeth out Isai 66.24 The griefe the sence the sorrow of other losses dyeth with thee but this losse and the unconceiveable sadnesse of it begins most to live when thou dyest the losse of temporal things is but temporal but the losse of the immortal soul is eternal What friend lost for ever for ever Oh! let that word break thy heart From hence let me first speake to those that are lost Use 1 and not yet found This is and shall be for a lamentation To those that are lost and not yet found lament What my Brethren have you lost your soules and not found them Why every one is solicitous for losses 1 Sam. 9.3 The Asses of Kish were lost and he said unto Saul arise take servants with thee and go and seek the Asses Up and call in helpe and take all paines and all to seek the lost Asses And thus they pass through the Land of Shalishah but they found them not through the Land of Shalim but there they were not through a third Land and yet found them not Seek your soules and yet on they went to seeke them still verses 4.5 Oh! how shall this story rise up to condemne poor soules Hast thou ever taken such paines to finde thy lost soule to go from Ordinance to Ordinance from duty to duy from one endeavour to another restlesly laborious in seeking that which thou hast lost You have a saying that I love you as I love my soule Why upon the account of this history I had rather be some mans Asse then thy soule yea most mens Dogge rather then thy soule if they lose their Dogge they 'l whistle for him If a Gentleman lose a setting Dogge c. all the Country shall be searched for it but how few Gentles or others take paines inseeking their lost soules Alass this is in a sort an infinite loss wherein thou losest an infinite God How sad is it then that herein thou shouldest be or not at all or so sparingly affected My friends I see you are yet alive and thus much according to the same truth I would say to qualifie what was before spoken of this losse for the sake of broken hearts not of obdured sinners that the soule is not so as I said lost until your lives be lost for until you have lost your lives 't
up for that is raising up when God raiseth up us and our wills at once My soule hates their prophane Notion that teach soules to lye still as the beast in the ditch that cannot stirre dawbing with such untempered Morter as this if God will and when God will thou maist and shalt repent and beleeve and thou canst do no more then God will and therefore trouble not thy selfe to take any paines or to go any farther my Text saith not VVho is this that was taken out of the wildernesse but who is this that comes out c. though God raise up yet she must come up Gods motions herein may help but must not hinder thine own motions 2. It consists But Secondly Wherein is this comming up from the Wildernesse dispatched I answer 1. In the getting up of our eyes First In the getting of our eyes up Oh! labour we to looke from the top of the Wildernesse from the Lyons Dens and from the Mountaines of the Leopards Art thou going up the hil Why Prov. 4.25 Let thine eyes look right on Oh! how doe Christians hinder their progresse towards Canaan for want of due observance unto this rule We must be looking this way and that way to this vanitie to day to another to morrow like fools and children and so trifle away our time wherein we should dispatch our business Psal 119.5 Oh! saith David That my wayes were directed that I might keepe thy statutes And what wil he doe to this end v. 15. I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy wayes There he gets up the eyes of his soule When I have respect to all thy Commadements v. 6. More expresly 37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken me in thy way Wouldest thou be quick in the wayes of God Why Turn away thine eyes from vanitie please not thy selfe with it meditate not upon it I perswade my selfe that the reason why so few come up to the wayes of holinesse is because they never yet lifted up their eyes unto the beauties of holinesse and have therefore thought that the onely pleasing waies are in the Wilderness 1 Cor. 1.21 The World by wisedom knew not God My Brethren we must get up from our wisdoms to look higher then that or else we can not get up from the Wildernesse that is We must come verily to apprehend judge and account the wayes of God to be the best wayes and what carnal wisdome can doe so Thus must you get up your eyes 2. In the getting of our hearts Secondly In the getting up of your feet i. e. your Will and Affections Prov. 4.26 Ponder the path of thy feet Psa 119.101 I have refrained my feet from every false way that I may keepe thy Word Get up the feet of your soules and you get up all when you once truly set your affections upon things above then are you risen with Christ Col. 3.1 Then are you come up from the Wildernesse leaning upon the beloved Drunkards get up your affections from drunkenness you Worldlings get up your affections from the world if your affections were once truly up 't were easie 't were nothing to get your conversations up Set your affection on heaven ver 2. And 't were the ready way to mortifie your members which are upon earth v. 5. This Doctrine hath been Practical instead of Use this Querie offers it selfe But how shall I do to get up my feet from the Wildernesse I answer Take these four Rules Rules to help us herein 1. Occasion our hearts the uphil-way First Let your occasions lye this way If a mans occasions lye an up-hil way it matters not much how high the hil be he must go that way his occasions lie there Ier. 2.24 In her occasion who can turn her When your occasions are for London though it be up to London yet you wil goe and who can turne you My Brethren some mens occasions lye in the Ale-house as Maulsters c. Oh! this is sad who can perswade or turn them upward when their occasions lye down the hill downe to hel-ward yet I condemn not that Calling but caution the men labour thou to have occasions lying at the Throne of Grace in the house of Prayer c. and then God shall have more of thy company Secondly Accustom thy heart this way It s little to him to go up to London every week 2ly Accustom we our hearts that way that is accustomed to go up 'T wil be tedious to pray if thou doe not accustome thy selfe to pray He that is accustomed to a way can say as Paul I forget what is behind and presse forward to the price of the high Calling of God Phi. 3.13.14 Though we be called to high duty as well as high priviledges yet on can the Saint go that is accustomed to go You read of some accustomed to do evill Jer. 13.23 Get you the custom as well as the conscience of doing well 3ly Keep we up-hil company Thirdly Keep up-hil Company I am a companion of them that fear thee and that keepe thy word Psa 119.63 Oh! Company is a great solace in a wearisome way if two walk together in one way and the one fall the other shall lift him up Unchristian people know not the benefit of Christian communion therefore it is that they do not prize it and so missing of the company they often miss of the way Fourthly Above all get a nature that may move that way 4ly Get we a nature moving up-wards The stone naturally moves down-ward but the sparks as naturally fly upward If there be any sparke of grace in thee it wil be soaring upward 2 Pet. 1.4 That you might be partakers of the divine nature That is the nature I speak of Oh! that will alwayes he mounting upward if you press downe a flame it will up againe if temptation croud downe grace as soone as ever it can get from under will up againe towards God again what ever meanes else you use nothing will be effectual unless you get a new nature then though it be up the hil you will be able to go in the new way The fourth Part of this Treatise discocovers the onely way of salvation to lost soules viz. Leaning upon the Lord Jesus CHAP. I. Containes the proofe by way of Removall of nine false leaning Stocks ANd thus much be spoken concerning so much of the Text viz. Who is this that comes up from the wildernesse It followes that we now speake to the words that follow viz. Leaning upon her beloved In these words you have that Action that gave life and vigor to her motion she comes up c. leaning upon c. leaning upon her beloved leaning there 's her Act upon directs you to the Object her shewes her interest the ground and spring of the Act her beloved speaks her relation to him whom she leanes upon from whence we may conclude the nature of
must be burthensome 1. So thy weaknesse Thirdly Thy weakness and weariness must be burthensome as to the intensiveness of it First Thy weaknesse must be burthensome Many there are that are weak in duty and weak in grace if so be they have enough to denominate them weak in it and that see it too and yet are not burthened with it This is not the load that lyes upon their spirits but an Habakkuk trembles his lips quiver and his heart faints at it Hab. 3.16 And the Lord God shall be his strength ver 18. A Paul will cry out of it O wretched man and who shall deliver me and 't is a body of death q. d. It could not be a greater burthen to me to have a dead body fixed to me to carry about me then to carry about this dead heart c. And then he can thanke God through Jesus Christ Rom. 7.24.25 Secondly 2ly So thy wearinesse Thy wearinesse must be burthensome wearinesse never be thou well till thou be rid of it Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laiden Many are weary that are not greatly burthened with their wearinesse but Asaph was so loaden that he was even over-whelmed again Psa 77.3 Now if thy soule be thus burthened with thy spiritual either weaknesse or wearinesse And if it be so thou maist thus discover it First 1. Thou wilt willingly part with that which so weakens and wearies Thou wilt be marvellously willing to part with thy burthen to part with that that weakneth or wearieth thee when Christ at any time offers to take it from off thy shoulders Come to me and I will give you rest ver 28. Nay there is not a Gospel Sermon you heare but in some sort or other such a tender is made unto you and how few do then account their infirmities their burthen Secondly Yea you will be glad at heart but to change burthens with one that hath a lighter and easier then yours Why such is Christs if you be truly weak and wearied Mat. 11.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easie and my burthen light Thy soule will think it an happy exchange to passe from Satans plough to the Lords plough when once thou feelest the weight of Satans Chayne thou wilt esteeme the greatest of the Lords Commandements or thy duties as a chaine of gold to hang about thy neck Every neck would be willing to be so burthened From all that hath been spoken A Conclusion from the precedent truth that no soule comes home to God in the strength of its own legges to me it is easily to be concluded that there is no lost soul that ever yet was or ever shall be brought home unto God by the strength of its own leggs I shall therefore conclude the state of these qualifications according to the expresse doctrin of Lu. 15.5 The shepheard laies the lost sheep on his shoulders rejoycing that is he takes the lost sheep off its own leggs and we read of its carrying before its curing as of the Prodigals comming before his cloathing that relates to another particle as I may so say of conversion First God acts when we act not I meane in the first moment I doe not meane of the time but of the work next that acting of God makes us act together as to time Christ carryeth in the first parable and we come in the next Arminians deny the one Antinomians the other I assert both In that primely-prime act as I may call it Jesus Christ doth not cut off our legs but yet he doth not use them for he layeth us upon his shoulders And who can conceive if there be any portion of the conversion-act wherein that may be truly said that in such an act the sheep useth its own leggs when it is carryed upon the shepheards shoulders And this doth genuinely fall in with what I have spoken of the spiritual and universal weaknesse and wearinesse that must burthen us before we have advantage from the strength of Jesus Christ This sheepe had neither legge to stand on or to go with though it had all its legges still for if it had it would undoubtedly have had legs to run away with and suppose that Christ should cure us whilest we lie weak and weary upon the ground and so set us upon our own legges which blessed be God shall never be and not bind us to his owne shoulders or bring us as the Spouse to leane upon him by an union indissoluble I need no argument but sad experience to convince mine owne base heart that I should quickly use or abuse rather my cured legges and the reneâ—ings of strength and of refreshment unto the turning aside into the crooked paths of the wilderness still or to the running away from him that healed me But now by vertue of this union our legges gather strength as the woman that touched him drew vertue from him and now they can walke and runne they are the old legs still the same affections will and understanding c. But it is not their old strength that they move by but Christ's put into them Christ gives them his Wine to refresh them and make glad their hearts his Oyle to heale and make strong their bones his life to act and to inform their Organs And thus they that were weak in the Wildernesse and not able as Israel Ezek. 16 They that had wearied themselves with wandering and were too weary to go as the lost sheep Lu. 15. doe now come inseparably to wait upon the Lord Christ and by leaning on him to renew their strength that they may run and not be weary that they may walke and not faint Isai 40.31 And what is this precious Scripture but the summe or the Epilogue of all that I have beene speaking viz. That it is onely the weake and weary that can profitably leane and by leaning comfortably draw strength and refreshment from the Lord Christ And upon these accounts it may by the way appeare how strangely some that call themselves Ministers of the Gospel of Christ goe to work about poor soules Ministers strengthning those whom God would yet have to be made weake One comes to them that can say Sir I thank God I have had an honest heart from my Cradle I never wronged any man in my life no man can say that black is mine eye I have ever had a good mind towards heaven I use prayer often and give much Alms to the poor and your selfe can bear me witness sir that I alwaies pay you Tythes of all that I possess and am constantly at Church with you every sunday But now I grow aged or I am sick c. and I would be sure what estate I am in I pray sir what think you of my condition Why â—ruly it is the business of many mens preaching to send away such a self-justifying and so self-undoing Pharisee to hell as some
And verily to deale rightly with my Text there is not any of these particulars that may be pretermitted for as the Text mentions the Act viz. Leaning and the Object viz the Beloved so also the originall of such an act which is an interest in the person leaned upon and that is expressed also viz. her beloved You speak Sirs of leaning upon Christ yea but tell me what interest you have in Christ or how you came by it else may I say with a bitter scorn Who art thou that leanest upon anothers Beloved My Text bids me thus to challenge you for thus it runnes leaning upon her beloved And who can suppose Christ to be thy leaning-stock if he be not thy Christ yea how darest thou lay thine head in his bosome unto whom thou never yet gavest the heart in thy bosome Darst thou live as a wife with him whom thou canst not love Darest thou exact that benevolence which belongs to a wife when thou wilt not performe the least conjugall duty that is due to an Husband How saist thou that thou hast believed when yet Christ is none of thy Beloved thou hast leaned but thou hast not loved surely it requires a brow of Brass and an Whores fore-head to attest such things 'T is Interest and onely Interest in Christ Viz. Interest in Christ whom we lean upon that gives a right to this act of leaning upon Christ This word I take up from my Text with respect unto the wanton Christians of the present Age. Oh! they make nothing of believing and of rolling all their sinnes were they more then they are which can scarce be upon Jesus Christ as I heard for certaine of a woman of a vile conversation who was got into mounting Clouds of the Ranting Creed when a Neighbour told her vainly sure Mistresse A word to wanton Confidents or leaners upon Christ such a one Christ will have a very heavy load of your sins she answered wickedly Even let him take them let him take them all I 'le never trouble my selfe with them that was as to the guilt of them for as for the Commission of them it appeared by her daily conversation that that was too light a thing to trouble her My Brethren I would faine know what such wanton Confidents for believers I know not how to call them can say to what God hath expresly said to them Why will they say Christ hath said Whosoever believeth shall not perish and whosoever comes will he by no means cast forth and therefore you shall never disswade us from believing or keep us from in-comming Doe you aske us how we dare take such hold of Christ why have not your selfe said that he invites sinners to take hold of his strength Isai 27.5 that they may have peace 'T is true friend but still upon his own terms you must lay down your Bryers and Thornes that is your warring wicked conversation you must forsake the one if you will hold to the other But and if you resolve as yet to hold your sinnes at least wise if you doe not resolve to lay them downe for God knocks off their fingers from leaning on Christ Who will set them up but he shall be burnt up together with them know that the Lord is so far from calling you to take hold that he will even knock off your fingers from holding upon his Covenant Psal 50.10 But unto the wicked God saith what hast thou to do to take my Covenant into thy mouth Unto what wicked saith God so unto all that have been wicked no for he explaines it of those that are resolved to be wicked still vers 17. Even that hate to be reformed Wherefore if thou saist thou leanest shew me thine Interest whence such an act of intimacy as leaning is should flow 'T is certaine Christ profiteth nothing unlesse he be thus applyed and how should he be applicable but by being made thine Thy soule undoubtedly must be able to say to Christ as Christ to God Isai 49.5 My God shall be my strength That 's right indeed if he be thy Christ he shall be thy strength So David Psal 18.2 The Lord is my God my strength in whom I will trust If Christ be thine lean and welcome the more thou leanest the dearer shalt thou be unto him as it is said He loved his Disciple best that leaned upon his bosome most Jo. 21.20 Is he thine Husband then leane thy head in his bosome and it shall passe for love but if he be not make him thy Beloved or else thy leaning shall be counted impudence and presumption Darest thou go a Whoring with Satan and willingly a wantoning with the world all the day long and then come in prayer and lean upon Christ at night Why Who art thou that leanest upon him whom thou hast not made Two Questions answered neither desirest to make thy beloved I shall therefore first briefly explain this Interest And then a little helpe you in the improvement of such interest as the ground in order unto such an act of leaning And for the 1. This Interest doth necessarily import 1. What this interest imports and include these two things An Assent and a Consent by which mutually Christ becomes our Husband and Beloved and we his Spouse even the Lambs wife 1. A free and full assent of the Understanding 1. An Assent described apprehending in some satisfactory measure at the least that Jesus Christ is altogether lovely and a meete head or husband for us I say a free assent in opposition to acknowledgements A free assent that may be forced out of the worst of men yea even of Devils concerning Jesus Christ and his loveliness I say a full assent A full assent with respect to those dividers of Christ who think it meet indeed to have Christ for their Priest and Saviour but do not assent to the needfulness and loveliness of Christ as Prophet Prince or Sanctifier Therefore say I the understanding in this assent apprehends him to be altogether lovely Lastly I say it is an Assent A selfe reflecting assent that he is a meet match for us And this carryeth it beyond any assent that can bee given by Devils or despairing Reprobates who though they doe and may apprehend and believe that there is salvation with Christ for lost sinners yet whilst they believe they tremble as not being able to apprehend that there is any for themselves and therefore though they confessedly assent to this that Jesus is the Son of the most high God and consequently able to save and meet to be received by sinners yet they themselves as for themselves cry out in the mean while What have we to do with thee as you may see Luk. 8.28 But what saith Paul and I take it to be the language of this Assent This is a faithful saying c. That Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe 1 Tim. 1.15 Jesus
that all the world should not be won But the Prophet Isaiah before-hand tells us Isai 53.2 3. There is no form nor comlinesse in him when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him Againe That he is despised and rejected of men and that we hid as it were our faces from him As when he goes a woing whom some coy Gentlewoman undervalews she forsooth will not see him but chambers up and concealeth her selfe from him Thus Christ came to his owne and his owne received him not Jo. 1. So when Christ comes a woing to our carnall or naturall hearts and we see him out of the window as it were truly we hide our faces from him we do not desire to be married to him And the reason he supposeth all along that Chapter because it is Christ Crucified that goes a woing in the world I find that is in the day of his Espousals and not when he goes a woing that Jesus Christ puts on his Crown Cant. 3.11 It is Christ Crowned that marries but it is Christ Crucified that woes 1. Cor. 2.2 I determined to know nothing among you being an Apostle a Paranymph a Spokesman amongst you for Christ but Jesus Christ and him crucified Sirs If you can not find in your hearts to love a crucified Christ I dare not goe a wooing for Christ under any other Notion We preach Christ crucified 1 Cor. 1.23 and therefore to one a stumbling block to another foolishnesse and this being supposed that it is a Crucified Christ that goes a wooing in the world truly never was any suiter more universally undervalued by the proudest Dame then Jesus is by carnall hearts for they neither like his Port nor Person nor Discourse nor Carriage nor Estate 1. Few like Christs woing Port. 1. Caâ—nall hearts are prejudiced at the Port of Jesus Christ when he goes a woing in the world When a Noblâ—man comes a wooing to some great personage in the World notice is taken of the Port that he comes in what Chariots come with him what Geldings what Servants what Retayners If a man should come a wooing to a great Lady upon the back of an Ass or with a beggerly retinue were not this one thing enough to hinder all hopes of a match Now such is the pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ that such shall his wooing Port such shall his Retayners be Instead of Coach or Sedan or led Horses or Chariots Christ rides a woing on the Foal of an Ass the foolishness of preaching see Zach. 9.9 Rejoyce O Daughter of Sion shout O daughter of Jerusalem behold thy King commeth unto thee lowly and riding upon an Asse and upon a Colt the Foal of an Asse And if you will have the mystery unfolded 't is this It pleaseth Christ whilest he passeth by the enticing words of mans wisdome and the pompous port of humane Oratory by the foolishnesse that is the plainnesse of preaching to wooe and to win soules unto himselfe 1 Cor. 1.12 and this is the preaching of Christ Crucified in a Crucified style to the Iews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishnesse vers 23. Hence it is that the wise the Scribes the Doctors the Disputers of this world dash and stumble upon Christ instead of leaning upon him because Christ is preached as Crucified and so evidently by plain preaching set forth as Crucified amongst us Gal. 3.1 Note I have observed but two dumb beasts whose mouthes were opend in the Scriptures One by Satan the other by the Lord Satan he makes use of the mouth of the Serpent the subtilest Gen. 3.1 God he makes use of the mouth of the Asse the simplest Numb 22.38 The Lord opened the mouth of Balaams Asse If you would chuse a Speaker you usually pitch upon the most eloquent but God often speaks by the Stammerer and out of the mouths of Babes and weaklings ordaineth his praise and by such spokesmen wooes home most souls many time to Jesus Christ Againe Instead of Pâ—inces and Rulers Christ brings his poor kindred and despised spokesmen with him and chief Captaines and Counsellors of the world for his Companions He chooseth to beare him company even in the view of the world and when he goes a woing not many wise not many Nobles 1 Cor. 1.26 But he hath chosen the poore of this world that they may be rich in faith and so beare him company though ragged in Cloathes Iam. 2.5 Fishermen Magdalens Lazars and these when they keep his sayings must be accounted his Mother and kinsfolk and Brethren Mark 3.35 Now even we our selves account her unworthy of a rich Husband who cannot find in her heart to acknowledge his poor kindred I have heard a Gentlewoman should say and I feare too many say so in their hearts that if it were not for Christs followers she could be content to follow Christ Ah! if it were not for Christs great Charge of Children and poore kindred many perhaps would looke towards him more then doe But if you be ashamed of them know that Christ will be ashamed of you I was naked saith Christ in my little ones and you cloathed me not hungry and you fed me not depart from me Mat. 25.41 42 43. 2ly Few like his person 2ly Carnal hearts are prejudiced at Christs person when he goes a wooing in the world Sirs I am sent to woe you to Christ but it is unto him crucified and consequently for His Rayment either he is naked they rent his Coat asunder and cast lots upon his Garments as Mat. 27.35 or clad with Garments dyed in the Wine-presse and red in his Apparel Isai 63.1 2 3. viz. Vestures dipt in his owne blood Rev. 19.1.3 which one would thinke were enough to frighten from Christ in stead of wooing to him And as for His Countenance 't is marred more then any mans and his form more then the Sons of men Isai 52.14 His Face instead of being washed with sweet waters as wooers wont to do is spit upon and instead of shaving is given to those that pulled off the hair Isai 50 6. As for His Head 't is Crown'd indeed but it is with rending Thorns Mat. 27.29 As for His Back 't is new-come as it were from the whipping-post and whealed with scornfull stripes of mercilesse men For he gave his back to the smiters Isai 50.6 As for His sides They are launced with Speares Jo. 19.34 And behold a mingled stream of water and blood As for His hands and feet they also are pierced as he himself recordeth Psal 22.16 Now friends can you find in your hearts as Joseph of Arimathea did Mat. 27.57 to make much of Christ in such a posture thus used thus abused if you cannot it is in vaine to perswade you to marry the Lord Jesus Christ therefore stand you by also 3ly 3ly Few like his woing discourse in general viz. Conviction Carnall hearts are as much prejudiced at Christs wooing discourse
above sixteen hundred yeares agoe shall save so many as expect salvation by it now And thus doe poor hearts often reason themselves from trusting in Christ Ah! how witty was the woman of Samaria in cavilling against Christ Ioh. 4.11.12.15 Her wit had almost fool'd her for ever and as we speak of some that they will save their jest though they lose their friend this over-wise woman had in making her jests almost unhappily lost her Saviour but Christ would not so lose her Secondly 2. Emnity against God Our Unregenerate or carnall mind it s not onely foolishnesse and so not able to receive the things of God but also Emnity against God Rom. 8.7 therefore saith Paul is it not subject to the Law of God neither can it be Now what is the great Gospel-Law why This is his Commandement that we should believe on the Lord Jesus 1 Joh. 3 23. To this Commandement the Carnall mind neither is nor can be subject Lean upon the Lord Jesus Tell mee what say your Carnall minds unto this Commandement It is obvious to every observant eye that there is not any Commandement of the Law that is more repugnant to Carnall reason then this Law of the Gospel and Carnall reason unto it Aristotle and the other heathen Philosophers could hit upon an Ens entium a being of beings and that was somewhat like the first Commandement and upon a Deus est colendus and that is somewhat like the second Command They also could account vowes and oaths sacred c. and that was something like the third Commandement they had some superstitious feasts in semblance of the fourth and as for the second Table of Commandements Honor Parents kill not whore not steal not lie not they could all with open mouth declaim in that Language and as for Covetousnesse much could they inveigh against it although the more spirituall part of there was too sublime for them But as for this Commandement they were so far from finding it out themselves and the best of them despisingly called the Christians Credentes as if their faith were their absurdity wheras God calls all such unreasonable or absurd that have not Faith 2 Thes 3.2 And thus they made a mock at Jesus and that was the very Object of their despightfull and Opprobrious Opposition which wee know to bee the onely way of our salvation viz. Leaning upon the Beloved Thus their Wisdome made them mockers and their mocking made their Bonds of unbeliefe so strong as God threatneth Isa 28.22 that nothing was found a more very Enemy to primitive Christianity than that self-taught Reason and Heathenish Philosophy So then it is not onely the foolishnesse of our heats but the wisdom of our hearts also that flyes in the very face of Gospell-truth and cryes out as Joh. 3.4 How can these things be Therefore the spirit saith not that the World through foolishnesse knew not God But after that the World through wisdom knew not God it pleased God that by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 Whence it is evident that as there is nothing that sets it selfe more directly against the Knowledge of Christ then the Carnall Worldly Naturall mans wisdom so neither doth that wisdom oppose any thing more then believing in Christ and therefore it accounts the preaching of faith foolishnesse What saith Carnall Reason will you take hold on the Lord with unwashed hands stay stay till your hands be cleansed and then 't is more likely that Christ will suffer you to lean upon him Yea but what can purifie the heart but faith And I will lean upon Christ not because I am holy and like him but that I may be holy and pure as he is pure and believe and rest upon him that I may be sanctified by him such should the language of faith be CHAP. XXII Containeth next the danger of leaning to our own Wills Righteousnesse Long-lives Self-Will SEcond leaning to our Carnall Wills must needs hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Jesus See Isa 30.15 The Lord the holy One of Israel said In returning and Rest you shall be saved this is the voice of Gods spirit to them but what 's the frame of their spirits towards him But yee would not But yee said no but we will do so and so ver 16. They cast aside the stay that the Lord tenders them and this is the Reason they lean to their own Wills Thus did those Brethren in iniquity Simeon and Levi they had no advice from their Father or Word from the Lord to lean unto in that Cruelty but saith the text Gen. 49.6 In their self-Will they digged down a Wall Now it must needs be that leaning to our own wills must hinder from leaning upon Christ upon a twofold account 2. Evid 1. Because the selfe-Will leans unto the dictates of self-reason First Suppose the truth of the former viz. that leaning upon our self-Wisdom is an hindrance and you must conclude this also Because the Will doth necessarily lean to what the Counsell of the understanding leads it to So that whatever carnall reason represents to the Will as fit to be Confided in be it Sin or Self or Satan or the World that the Will cleaves unto So that if the light that be in thee be darknesse if the very understanding be a blind guide what shall keep up the blind Will from falling into the ditch Lean not to thine own Understanding Now how do wee lean to the Understanding but by the Will When Eve perceived this and that of the forbidden tree then she desires it to make her wise Gen. 3.6 her Reason leave upon the Serpents Counsell and her desire hangs upon the dictates of her reason if the Intellect did not say to the Will that stollen waters are the sweetest the Robber would never have so much Will to steal and so little to live by labour If the Worldling did not think it better to gather treasure to himself hee would be richer towards God In all cases where the Will closeth the Understanding I judge approveth either that it is good though it be evill or at least as we say pro hic nunc good for thee at this time thus Abraham thought a lye was a good shift although he knew in it selfe it was evill to save his life ad the Lord saith Isa 5.20 That they cal evil good and good evil and put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter wherein I suppose he relates to the acts of the Will closing with this and refusing that accepting this as good and sweet and rejecting that as Evil and bitter and the reason is that in the middle of the Verse viz. they put light for darknesse and darknesse for light which must be judg'd the act of the Understanding When the dark and corrupt Reason mistakes an Evil and calls it good as nothing is more frequent with the unconverted then the Will followes it though it
well-instructed guide to lead us out of the Wildernesse of sin and temptations For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2.18 which scripture if put together with those before quoted tells us plalnly that Christ was led into every part of the Wildernesse not one corner excepted yet not all bewildred in all the points of temptation yet without sin and all this was that he might be able to succour those that are tempted Lastly 5ly Christ is in all respects an able Guide such a guide is Jesus Christ that whatsoever hath concluded thee under an impossibility of coming up from the Wildernesse of thy self may conclude thee under fair hopes yea full assurance of coming thence if thou lean upon the Lord Jesus As First The Wildernesse thou complainest 1. A great Guide is great and therefore terrible this Guide is greater and therefore if thou lean on him thy condition is hopefull He that is given us for a Guide Luk. 1.79 is said to bee the great Prophet arisen amongst us Luk. 17.16 where also what is said on the account of this guidance concerning John as Christs fore-runner Luk. 1.68 is here applyed to Christ The Lord hath visited his people and so the spring from on high hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darknesse c. and to guide c. Luk. 1.78 79. And how great comfort may the thoughts of this great Prophet be unto thee in this great Wildernesse Secondly The Wildernesse thou maist complain 2. A Guide full of eyes is full of waies diverse temptations but know that this guide is full of eyes he hath eyes enough to look out into all the Earth Rev. 5.6 Therefore if Satan lead Peter into a new way Christ will follow Satan with a new watch saith Christ unto Peter I have pray'd for thee that thy faith fail not Luk. 22.32 3. Able to extricate all Satans wiles Thirdly The Wildernesse thou maist complain is very intricate but know that as this Guide is able to espie out all the wiles of Satan so can he make even thee able by faith in him to stand against those wiles of the Devill Eph. 6.11 3. A Pioner as well as Guide Fourthly The Wildernesse thou maist complain is crooked stumbling and uneven but this Guide who led Israel as an horse in the Wildernesse that he should not stumble Isa 63.13 Pioner to speak scripture-language in our own dialect as well as Guide and carrieth as I may say with reverence Word and Spirit along with him to make the desert an high-way for our God Isa 40.3 and to make crooked things streight and rough places plain verse 4. yea to make them streight and plain before thee Isai 42.16 5. A light as wel as Guide Fifthly The Wildernesse thou maist complaine is dark and shady and the light comes not to thee But this is a Guide that ever carries a light with him yea that is the light as well as the Guide and to give light as well as to guide Luk. 1.79 who hath therefore said I wil lead the blind in a way that they knew not and wil make darkness light before them Isa 42.16 6. A Guide who gathered up the thorns Sixthly The Wildernesse thou maist complain is full of thorns which catch hold upon thee on the one hand and on the other but this Guide hath gathered them up and worn them in their type in his own Crown Ioh. 19.2 Insomuch that though the way of the slothfull that will not that neglect to come to Christ is as an hedge of thornes yet is the way of the Evangelically righteous made plain before him Pro. 15.19 7. And will break through the Wildernesse Lastly thou maist complain that the Wildernesse doth shut thee in and that thy sin doth easily beset thee But this Guide stands engaged to break his way through this Wildernesse for he hath said an high-way shall be there Isa 35.8 Wherefore upon these accounts let me earnestly exhort you to come to Christ and to say unto him as Moses said to Hobab his Father in Law Numb 10.31 Leave us not I pray thee forasmuch as we are in this Wilderness and thou maist be unto us instead of Eyes Thou art in a Wildernesse ready otherwise to be lost for ever oh goe to Christ and implore his guidance that hee may bee yea and accordingly he will be sure to be unto thy soule instead of eyes And thus much of the first viz. If sin be a Wildernesse Christ the Guide take hold on him CHAP. XXVI Containes Exhortation and direction how to Improve Christ as the onely may out of the Wildernesse of Sin THE second advantage that comes by leaning is this as it brings bewildred sinners to the Guide so it sets them in the way And therefore my second Exhortation to lost soules is this 2d If Christ be a way walk in him Is sin a Wildernesse Christ is the Way Wherefore Walk in him And you shall find REST to your soules This is certain that the saving Recumbency whereof we have spoken doth import the walking in Christ as well as walking with him since it is manifest as you shall perceive that this Beloved is a Way as well as a Guide and to be walked in as a Way as well as walked with as a Guide For if it be evident in Scripture as it is that we are both to go with him and in him 't is a plain case that he is both a Guide and a Way and if we must lean upon him under each Notion it is as plaine that we must walk in him as well as with him Hence it is that the Saints are said sometimes to follow Christ viz. as their Guide as Rev. 14.4 hence those Apostates are taxed for walking no more with him Joh. 6.66 And hence also it is that as I exhorted you in the first part of this discourse to labour to finde your soules as a Garden of walks unto Christ as himself hath said I will walk in them 2 Cor. 6.16 we are called here to walke in him As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him Col. 2.6 viz. as your way Christ though a Guide is also the way And this is no novell notion no paradox to a spiritulized understanding that the same should bee both the Guide and the way For thus it is with the Spirit and thus with the word of the Lord. David calls the Word a light to his feet a Lanthorn to his paths Psa 119.105 this is that counsell of God which the Psalmist makes his Guide Ps 73.24 and the same word David calls his way Ps 119.32 I will run the way of thy Commandements and Verse 33. Teach me the way of thy Statutes Thus it is also with the Spirit Ioh. 16.13 When the Spirit is come he will guide you into all truth there is hee
I should bee never be able to hold out I should faint by the way and I have never heard of any good entertainment in the way Alas friend thou judgest sure of this way by thy Wildernesse But I tell thee thou judgest unrighteous judgement Go but with me to one knows the way well and hear what he saith of the entertainment Ps 84.5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee in whose heart are the waies of them ver 6. who passe thorough the vale of of Baca oh that 's a bitter vale the vale of tears how comes it then to be a blessed way why they make it a well the rain also fills their pooles what 's that hee tells you ver 11. that is no good thing is withheld from them What of this why ver 7. they go from strength to strength every one of that appears before God in Sion You that travell to London weary your selves haply and grow faintish before you come to such an Inne there you bait and get fresh strength from thence you travail to your lodging Inne there you lie by morning you are as fresh haply as when you set out first at length riding from Inne to Inne and from refreshment to refreshment you keep your strength and so come to your journies end You travail Christians towards Canaan towards Sion you fear fainting Bait at Christs Iodge at Christ go from Inne to Inne from Ordinance to Ordinance you shall go from strength to strength you shall renue your strength you shall run and not be weary you shall walk and not faint Isa 40.31 at length you shall come to your journeyes end that is appeare before the Lord in Sion Seventhly Christ is a profitable way 7ly Christ is profitable way The world stirres upon that now Let one tell you never so much of a pleasant cleane provision'd broad high-way but say you What is there to be gotten in it why this way answers these desires the best the greatest surest wealth is to be traded for in this way Psal 119.14 I have rejoyced in the way marke what he calls it of thy Commandements as much as in all riches This is the way to the rich Pearle more worth then all thou hast if thou hadst ten thousand times as much Mat. 13.44 Eighthly Christ is a peaceable way If you trade 8ly Christ a peaceable way and get by your journey neare so much and though Robbert are afraid of losing it all in the bringing home be the way never so cleane so broad so pleasant this damps all but Jesus Christ is a secure way Prov. 3.17 all her paths are peace this way is the living waie Heb. 10.20 This is the waie of peace Luk. 1.79 In all this Christ is the accomplishment of that promise made to the Wildernesse Isai 35. Of a way verse 8. No Lyon shall be there nor any ravenous Beast goe thereupon verse 9. Lastly Christ is the way home And so I draw to a CONCLUSION Our Saviour telleth us Jo. 14.2 3 4 6. Christ the WAY HOME In my Fathers house are many Mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come againe and receive you unto my selfe that where I am there ye may be also And whither I go ye know and the way ye know I am the waie no man cometh to the Father but by me And this brings the first and the last together in the accomplishment of that to us that God did to Israel Who led them forth by a right waie that they might goe to a Citie for habitation Psal 107.7 And 't is the lesse matter how foule the weather be to such as have found a Christ for they have found the way home When Stephen was travelling through a storme of stones he knew how to house himselfe he calls upon the Lord Jesus to receive that is to take home his Spirit to himselfe end when he had thus spoken he falls asleep Act. 7.59 60. You use to say of a Winter-journey and stormy weather 't is tedious travelling but say you it is homeward where we may be bold and shall be welcome and the wearier wee are we shall sleepe the more sweetly when we come at home and get into our owne Beds and in this case say you Home is home be it never so homely Art thou then in Christ thou shalt be taken in out of the Rain fetch'd home out of the streets from the brow-beatings of those that were mightier then thou Thou shalt enter into peace thou shalt rest in thy Bed Isai 57.2 Thou that walkest in this right way Thou art hasting homeward not to an homely home but to an heavenly to thy Fathers house to Abrahams bosome to the new Heaven the Celestiall Canaan to the Saints Rest to Jerusalem which is above and is free to the Paradice of God to the Countrie of thy kindred to thine own people and to the seat of thy Christ Therefore fear not poore penitent though thou hast been a Prodigall Art thou in Christ thou art going homeward to thy Fathers house where thy Father will come forth to meet thee and thine Elder Brother so farre from grudging that he will come along with him to greet thee the Angels to welcome thee will become ministring spirits unto thee then shall one go for the meat another for the musick a third for the Ring and a fourth for the Robe even all that heaven can afford mean while Jonathan thy friend who is in Covenant with thee whose soule cleaves unto thee will put his own Robe upon thee and his Garments even to his Girdle and then shall heaven ring with an All things are readie the Spirit shall say Come and Christ shall say Welcome eat and drink O friend yea drink abundantly O beloved Fear not poore Lazarus whose Rayment is vile even sores on thy body and rags on thy sores Art thou in Christ thou art going homeward to Abrahams bosome to a new Heaven where old things are done away and all things become new Thy vile bodie shall be there changed and made a glorious bodie like unto Christs Bodie in an heavenly new fashion Thou shalt put off Mortalitie and put on immortalitie put off corruption and put on incorruption put off weaknesse and put on strength lay off the Cross and put on thy Crown Yea let me say more the Garments that thou hadst of Gods owne making and which were well enough to serve thy turne in the wildernesse of this world thou shalt then have out-grown them and there put them off and that which is in part shall be there done away and that which is perfect shall come in its roome Thou shalt then know as thou art known and love as thou art loved thou shalt put off Hope and Vision shall succeed it and put off Faith and put on fruition Feare not poore Israelite
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