the sufferers Therefore Fourthly and lastly 4. Partic. That because Christ was made weak weary even as we we have boldness to leane our weaknesses and wearinesses on him In that Christ was subjected to our weariness and weaknesses and for our sakes and in our natures and it is on him thus prepared and made a sutable support that we are called to lean we may undoubtedly have great encouragement and strong consolation so argueth the Apostle Heb. 4.15 16. We have not an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are sin only excepted therefore let us come boldly to the Throne of grace We may come to Christ and say Lord strengthen us in our duty as thou wast in thine Agony refresh us out of the Well of living waters for once thou wast weary and didst sit down upon the Well Lord lift up my head out of the waters of bitternesse for once thine owne head was bowed down to the brook in the way Comfort you the comfortlesse amongst you with these words CHAP. IX How Christ was prepared to be the strength and stay of weake and weary soules by his estate of exaltation 2ly In his estate of Exaltation he was also prepared hereunto BUt alas what encouragement were this to weak and weary soules to leane upon Christ if he were onely made weak and weary you 'l say the less helpe is there for us if he were so too and indeed had Christ laid down onely his strength and forsaken for us his Fathers bosome his resting place and had not repossessed and taken them up againe I should not be so strongly perswaded to plead with you to lean upon him But this I know that Christ is dead yea rather that he is risen again his strength was laid down but 't is taken up again his resting place was a while as it were quitted by him but is now restored unto him and in him unto them that lean upon him for because he lives they shall live also because he is strong they shall be strengthned because he is at rest they shall be refreshed for he hath therefore prayed the Father that where and in what state he is they may be also Therefore 2ly Christ was prepared to become a sutable support unto the weak and weary by being lifted up unto his Crown and by the state of his exaltation I shall lay down these three Propositions Three Propositions explayning this 1. That exalted Christ took up all strengrh and refreshment as well as when Crucified he stooped down to weaknesses and wearinesses 2. That that strength and rest was taken up in our behalfe for our sakes and interest as well as his own 3. That therefore herein we may take exceeding encouragement to lean upon him both as to the one and the other First 1. That Christ glorified hath received sufficient strength There is strength and rest enough with Christ glorified and triumphant for all believers militant First For strength read Ephe. 1.19 20 21. and tell me poore heart what thou wouldest have more then is there exprest It s said the mighty power of God wrought and in whom in Christ Jesus and when when he raised him from the dead and to what end that he might set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places this was the exaltation of him who was crucified through weaknesse and what followes Where are those places of what rank are they Why far above all principalities and power and might and dominion and every name that is named c. and hath put all things under his feet except himselfe who put them under as the Apostle else where argues so that Christian name what name thou canst here 's a name one name that may revive thee more then all they need discourage thee Think of what power thou canst or what might thou wilt here 's strength above all strength might beyond all might as himselfe saith Look and be saved so say I lean and be strengthned How saist thou now doth the name of Devill disturbe thee doth the Principality Satan scare thee doth the power of legion affright thee thou darest not begin to wrestle with these or if thou hast begun thou darest not hold on why whilest a fearful heart names these or any of these let a faithful heart name Christ in stead of all and it will more then answer all for him hath God exalted yea highly exalted Phil. 2.9 and given him a name above every name yea far above every name whether it be principality or might or power present or future that is to day or can possibly be to morrow yea in this world or in that which is to come 2ly Rest for all that leane upon him 2ly For Rest You heard in the last that God set him at his own right hand so Heb. 1.3 He sat down on the right hand of the Majestie on high Now sitting you know imports Rest especially sitting in Majestie and then on high there 's power and rest together This glorious rest of Jesus Christ after all his labours travells and soules-wearinesse is that which we properly and particularly commemorate in that which the Holy Ghost calls the Lords day that Christian Sabbath wherin Christ hath rested from all his labours that is wearying labours wherefore he blessed the Lords day and sanctified it 'T is true perhaps will your soules say we know indeed that there are enough refreshments and strength to spare in the Lord and with his Sonne Jesus Christ but alas what is that to us we see in the world that others are rich but that is little to us when we are poore others strong and healthfull but that is little to us when we are sick Oh! what is his strength and rest to us Poore soule much every way I had almost said as much as to himselfe Have you heard what Christ said in the dayes of his infirmity For your sakes sanctifie I my selfe could you but heare him speake from the seat of his Majestie on high his voyce would be For your sakes have I thus glorified my self yea such hath his voyce already and often been and I have believed it therefore have I spoken This therefore which is the 2d Proposi That the strength and rest he hath received he hath received for us Proved 1. From express Scripture testimony Second Proposition will abundantly appeare 1. If you consider express testimony of Scripture 2. The Scripture Character of Christs receiving this strength and rest 3. Of ours received from and through Christ 4. Of Christs untill we have received ours 1. For express testimony of Scripture A three-fold Cord shall I make use of to bind up your faith close unto this truth Predictions that went before him the very words that came from and together with him the report that after him 1. The Scriptures before Christ is born of him 1.
away with their dissimulation v. 13. Querie But you will say How shall I doe to know Satans voice from Peters since it seemes Satan can speake in Peter or how shall I do to walk in the waies of Peter as a Saint and to keep out of his paths so far forth as sinfull I answer by looking beyond all Solution unto that guidance which is one and which is above all Thou maist and must set the cloud of witnesses before thee and follow them but thine eye must still be fixt upon the first guide Heb. 12.1 2. Seeing we are compassed about with a Cloud of witnesses let us run with patience the race that is set before us verse 1. Looking to Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith verse 2. Thus Paul saith of those 1 Thes 1.6 Ye became followers of us and of the Lord. It s good following of the Saints when in them thou see'st that thou followest the King of Saints Paul desires godly persons or Ministers may desire no more but that you should follow them so far as they follow Christ Oh that the Saints would exceedingly feare sinning upon this accoune Perhaps the wicked sees thy sinning that never sees thy sorrowing and if God in mercy bring thee out of the Wildernesse yet maist thou leave â—y thine ensample another there irrecoverably who though he found thy way in yet will never be able to find thy way out again but there must perish to all eternity 6ly The next meanes of Satans improvement to bewilder is 6th Guidance Mistaken duties to bewilder us in our duty by the prompting guidance of another duty to lead us out of our now-duty Oh! 't is very dangerous when 't is our duty as we mistake it that becomes a false guidance to us Untimousnesse may unduty our duty Psa 137.4 The Lords songs are not at all times to be song Now its Satans policy when he cannot break us from the duty then to divert and disturbe us from the time But Solomon tells us That God hath appointed a season for all things to rejoyce Note and to mourn c. To every purpose there 's a season Eccles 3.1 Now that may be thy duty to day which would be thy sinne another time and it must needs be so because the whole nature of some duties lyeth in reference to the season so that when the Season ceaseth the duty ceaseth to be then our duty yea that which was duty because of that season becomes sinne because of this as for instance many civill duties at some season and upon some occasions It is meet that we should make merry Luk. 15.32 And it is better to go to the house of mourning at another season and upon another occasion Eccel 7.2 Yea in Religious Duties too on these I shall insist because its Satans great businesse herein and hereby to bewilder us I shall for instance pitch upon our two great and solemne occasionall duties Humiliation and Thansgiving although some proportion of these are as blood and water that runne through all our veynes and must runne through all our spirituall exercises Instance you shall too often find 1. That when God calls us to soul-humbling our spirits are for rejoycing and refreshing for this God challengeth Israel Isa 58.3 In the day of your fast you find pleasure 2ly When God calls us to soul-rejoycing our Spirits are then for soul-humbling This God reproveth also in the same people at another time Nehem. 8.9 This day is holy to the Lord weep not neither mourn for all the people wept and verse 10. Goe your way eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions c. neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength verse 10. Now Satan hath great advantage hereunto through our ignorance for surely the the people thought they did dwell in weeping Why 't was for their sinnes when they heard the Law read 't was for offending God that they wept could this at any time be unseasonable Yes that measure of it now was and to bee reproved as Nehemiah and Ezrah did And thus doth Satan by the guidance of some other mistaken duty turne us aside from that frame of spirit that wee ought to have in the present duty When God bids them mourne they find pleasure when he cals them to find pleasure and to rejoyce before him Note they mourn bitterly Thou maist be affectionate in a sin thinking it verily to be a dutie Querie But now here lies the difficulty Psal 2.11 We are commanded to rejoyce with trembling how then can Satan be said to leade us out of the way by the one from the other when both together are our duty and if so how could Israel be reproved for their mourning in the day of their rejoycing since rejoycing is not as it should be without trembling nor by the same Rule and Scripture must trembling be without rejoycing rejoyce with your trembling Ans I answer I apprehend it true that there must be something of an Humiliation day in every Thansgiving if rightly managed and something of a Thansgiving in every soul-afflicting day else may wee mourne our selves into despaire or joy our selves into presumption Surely there 's no contrariety in Christian duty therefore two different duties may be incumbent on the same subject at the same time and one frame of spirit made up of both fit for either but withall the duty of the day must as we say carry the day or else we sinne In a Thanksgiving day we must rejoyce with trembling in an Humiliation we must tremble with rejoycing Now Satans businesse is to transport us beyond due bounds by poysing our spirits most unto that whereof should be least as was clear in those instances and is too often in our expriences and so to bewilder us in duty by duty If you 'l aske how much must there then be of trembling in our holy Feasts or of rejoycing in our Fasts I answer just so much as makes us fitter for the due management of the present duty A little of spiriuall joy gives advantage as your experiences can speak unto the due guidance of godly sorrow And a little trembling rightly attempers holy rejoycing and whatsoever is more then thus commeth of evill Now Satans businesse is to make us lose our sorrowes in rejoycing or our joy in sorrowes and our selves into both and ever most of that whereof the present day and duty calls for least and thus may not onely a Felix want a convenient season but you Saints may find it difficult to redeeme a season for soule-searching from prayer or for resolving upon Reformation afterward in a serious sort from soul-searching You may enlarge it in other instances as his bewildring our Meditations by enclining us then to pray or to break us off from prayer by injecting usefull Meditations as formerly I have hinted and the like to these CHAP. XVI Containes two last bewildring Guides seeming
publick and precious interest spiritual and civil let my Text teach you to cease from Mere Man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is hee to be accounted of It cannot bee that God should do much by any of us for one another whilst wee make Idols one of another the Lord is God and it is his glory to have all your dependencies upon himself and hee will not give his glory to another There is not one way for a soul and another way for the Church or for a people but one way for both to come up from their Wildernesse and that one and only way is by leaning upon the Beloved Secondly Unto you as living in this quarter of the Country I have more to say than unto others I seriously tell you the Lord looketh and they that labour for the Lord among you and the holy Angels of God that have pitched their Tents about you and all the Saints that have heard of you and of the way of the Holy one in the midst of you may justly expect from you that you should become a peculiar people excelling in holinesse the Attainments of others being much more zealous of good works The Lord hath expressed more favour upon you than upon most of your Neighbours 1 In your Immunity from the sword of your Adversaries 2 The Community of the word of his grace O the many Chariots and horsemen of Israel faithfull skilfull and powerfull even unto eminency burning and shining lights with whom I professe my self unworthy to be numbred Messengers of Peace sent unto you from time to time by the God of Peace The same is the Lord of Hosts who gave you a protection and made you as Salem a peaceable habitation in times of Warre you have been as a Goshen of light when the Day of the Lord hath been darknesse round about Light hath been in your Houses even from the dawning of the day after the dark night of National Popery when Darknesse hath continued in some Neighbouring places But fire hath been on your Neighbours houses on each side of you both Norfolk and Essex and when it was making towards yea and in the very sight of Sudbury your selves are my witnesses your selves have told me and to write the same thing to mee is not grievous but for you it is profitable The wind that bloweth where it listeth blew those flames to your Neighbouring-County and town of Colchester so that the goodnesse of the Lord to you-ward and severity to them may be read in black letters in that poor place even to this day I will not say that the Lord hath dealt thus by you rather than others because you are but that you might bee better than others even as hee dealt by Israel of old and therefore if hee should now find you like them a stiffnecked and gainsaying people running from the Shepheard that hath so followed you with care and watched over you for Your good if you should yet make warre with the Lamb who hath been so studious of your Peace and unwilling to fight with you when hee smote your neighbours round about you if you should bee so foolish a people and unwise as thus to requite the Lord O Suffolk O Sudbury what should hee then do unto you Wherefore be you not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is concerning you that you may bee blamelesse and harmelesse the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation among whom the Lord looks you should shine as lights in the world Holding forth the word of life that wee may rejoyce in the day of Christ that we have not run in vain neither laboured in vain For so is the will of God if any speak evil of you in the things they know not that with wel doing you put to silence the ignorance of foolish men Finally my Brethren bee perfect bee of one mind live in peace holding fast the form of sound words and the profession of the faith without wavering considering one another to provoke unto love and good works Not forsaking the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is But rather Brethren warn them that are unruly comfort the feeble-minded support the weak bee patient towards all men Pray without ceasing in every thing Give thanks Brethren pray for us And the very God of Pâ—ace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body bee preserved blamelesse unto the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ So Prayeth Your Servant by love FAITHFUL TEATE THE Author to the Ingenuous READER OUr Saviour saith of the unclean Spirit Mat. 12.43 Luk 11.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hee passeth through dry i. e. desert places On which Text though Beza admit of no allegory and the truth is which experience confirms that Ziim Ochim and Jiim do frequent incult and desolate places Isa 13 21 22. Yet doth as sad and more frequent experience and the very Scope of that Scripture shew that the unclean Spirit with the seaven other worse than hee do much more delight to inhabit the dry and the desert Soul where they cry to each other as the satyres of the wildernesse to their fellows Isa 34.14 Wherefore being sent of the Lord in these labours not only to spy out where Satans seat is but to beat up his very head quarters no wonder if as in 2 Cor. 7.5 without have been fightings and within fears I oft thought one had need bee both sanctified from the wombe and waxen strong in the spirit as John Baptist who should lift up his voice in this Wildernesse but knew my self to be but a child and one of unclean lips unable to allarm those bold Legions or to encounter that Old Serpent But hee that sent me said unto mee My grace is sufficient for thee shewing mee that they that were with mee were more and mightier than they that were against mee wherefore with fear and trembling through manifold Temptations most willingly though m st weakly have I followed my commission And now having studied all playnnesse in the ensuing treatise I shall briefly for the clearing of the Text preface thereunto The Wildernesse described is the WILDERNESSE OF SIN spiritually so called for I allude and no more to that Wildernesse of SIN Exo. 17.1 by contraction of Sinai which comming of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thorny thicket is an acurate emblem of the wayes of sinne which through its greennesse though it please the beholder yet it is both tyring and tearing to the Travayler And as is the name of the Wildernesse in the Text so is it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per Antiphrasin a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loquutus est i. e. locus sine locutione It hath its name of much speaking whereas there is no speaking there even so is sin the most sociable way and evil men the good fellows but like Beasts of the Wildernesse are they each unto Other and
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
husbanded in the yard if this vine bring forth and its fruit be husbanded in the press both are for the poor souls advantage 2. Labor to be husbanded for Christ Secondly Labor if thou hast been a waste wilderness unto Christ thus long now to become unto him a well-husbanded garden all thy days Remarkable is that passage unto me Cant. 8.11 Solomon had a vineyard and he let it out to keepers and every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a hundred pieces of silver If the soul be husbanded it is for Christ Christ must have the rent yea and the soul will give it him too Cant. 8.12 Thou O Solomon that 's Christ shalt have a thousand and the keepers of the fruit that 's Christs faithful Ministers shall have two hundred O that I could now hear you cry out unto Christ as the Spouse doth verse 13. Thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hearken unto thy voice cause me to hear it Friends this is Christs voice which is hearkned unto by Christs companions even this which you hear this day you dwell in the wilderness but Christ dwells in the gardens wherefore he calls you out of the wilderness to come unto him yea he call you from the wilderness to become unto him as a garden the Lord cause you to hear it CHAP. VI. Answereth this Query How may the soul of a barren c. wilderness become unto Christ a fruitful c. garden with many precious promises unto wilderness-like souls ME thinks I now hear the soul sighing out this Query Query How to finde Christ a gardener and to become a garden Answ By coming to and leaning upon Christ I hear his voice indeed that dwells in the gardens but how shall I be able to finde him a gardener unto me that I may be a garden unto h m Poor soul art thou in a wilderness art thou a wilderness I know no way to help thee out of this condition unless as in the Text thou come out leaning upon Christ It is touching Christ taking of hold upon Christ and Christ alone that can help thy poor soul O Sirs did you now but see where you are what flocking should we have after Christ this day even as they in the days of his flesh that they might but touch the hem of his garment Matth. 14.36 for saith the Text as many as touched were made perfectly whole so say I as many as touch him shall be perfectly changed from wildernesses into gardens so Mark 3.10 as many as had plagues pressed upon him for to touch him Hast thou then the plague of a barren heart a moistureless eye a seared conscience a waste carkase-like lean starving soul O press after Jesus Christ They there were sensible of the plagues because they were bodily plagued and our Savior was fain to have a ship to receive him lest they should throng him Mark 3.9 but alas the plagues are spiritual and you do not discern them and therefore though Christ be in the midst of you yet who presseth amongst you to lean upon him I shall briefly according to the present occasion tell what I mean by leaning upon Christ Secondly How you may take hold upon him in order to your finding him a Gardener to you and your becoming to him a fruitful garden stored with the plants of Paradise Which leaning imports four things 1. A sense of thy wilderness like barrenness c. First then leaning briefly imports four things First Art thou sensible of thy being a wilderness and that thou art not able of thy self to stir towards a better state else canst thou not else wilt thou not lean upon Christ in order thereunto A man that thinks his ground his heart is well husbanded will not care for Christs being a vine or Gods being an husbandman tell him of it hee 'l say Pray then take him for your own my ground I thank you is well enough Therefore 't is the main observable in that parable Luke 15. where you have an hundred sheep in the wilderness there 's one is a lost sheep but all are bewildred lost what 's that why one that is sensible thereof and not able to help himself a sinner a repentance-needing sinner vers 7. the other are in the wilderness too but they see it not they are just in their own eyes they need no repentance their way is so good they need not turn head as many unconverted duty-mongers and self-justifiers the Lord Christ leaves all these though 99 in the wilderness and takes care of that poor lost sheep and layes that upon his shoulder and rejoyces more in that then in all the rest ver 4 5 6 7. O Friend thou that art damned in thy self undone in thy self in the midst of the wilderness bewildred in sin in thy very duties that canst see nothing in thy self but a wilderness thou art the onely fit man thus to improve Christ and to be improved by Christ 2. The discovery of a sufficiency in Christ Secondly Leaning requires the discovery of a sufficiency in another if the soul be a wilderness yet if it see not Christ to be an all-sufficient redeemer it will stay as it is and not not care for changing A man will not lean unless there be discovered a strength in that whereon he leans sutable to the end for which he leans upon it that is a choice Scripture perswading and inviting poor wilderness-like souls to a change Isa 27.4 Fury is not in me saith God yet who would set bryars and thorns against me in battel if you will be still a wilderness and if this briery and thorny wilderness will still stand out against me and reject my gracious motions I would go through them I would saith he burn them together if thou resolve to be a thorny wilderness he also will resolve to be a flaming fire But as if his earnest desire were that it should be otherwise see what he puts them upon in the immediately following words vers 5. Or let them take hold of my strength that 's Christ who you know is Gods strength to believers without whom God will I may say with reverence as God stands covenanted God can do nothing that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace with me or let them I am much taken with the maner of expression If they will fight if they will set up their briars and thorns against me let them then I will dâ—stroy them or let them Oh! God had rather make peace then conquer though he be sure of victory take hold of my strength let them that is as we must needs take it by reason of this particle or let them the briars and thorns take hold of my strength Why what good shall they get by it Why they were as barren as bryers and thorns before my strength that 's Christ if they take hold on him shall cause them to take root to blossom to bud
end of the verse There thy mother brought thee forth whoever she was that bare thee Friends where doth the wilde Ass bring forth her colt Is it not in the wilderness where that is brought forth is man born Job 11.11 Man is born like a wilde asses colt compare Ezek. 16.4 5. with Deut. 32.9 where God speaks of the same Israel at the same time In the day that thou wast born in Ezek. thou wast cast forth in the open field and there I spied thee and saith he in Deut. I found thee in the waste howling wilderness so then to be born in sin is to be born in a wilderness A sign hereof in the sufferings and death those rendings of little babes If you require a sign and will not otherwise believe O look upon your sick and sorrowful little Babes Are they not sometimes torn a sunder in the birth are they not prickt to the heart with pains sometimes as soon as born are they not rent with convulsion fits Did not Davids first-born by Bathshebah die when newly born as well as Absolom full grown If you see a mans face and hands all scratched nay if you find him bloody and torn to pieces limb from limb and perhaps half or almost all devoured will you not say that he might thank the thorns and the savage beasts of the wilderness Oh! that I could never look upon my sick childe but with mine heart full of grief for mine original wilderness-transgression surely these rendings are from those thorns First Then from hence take a view of thy birth-condition Use hereof 1. As to our selves I would present it to you to the same end that God did to them Ezek. 16. That you might look upon your persons as they were in the day of your birth and loath them and upon the bowels of the Lords compassion towards you in that day and admire them surely you cannot sufficiently do the one or the other and for my part I think that he was never savingly humbled that hath not been humbled to purpose for original-bewildrings I cannot but deny their conversion that dare deny original transgression Secondly From hence take a view of thy poor children 2. As to our little babes you use to look upon your children as soon as born Oh! look upon them as born in the wilderness where the wilde Ass hath brought forth her colt there hast thou brought forth thy childe and canst thou finde in thine heart to leave it there O pitty pitty the fruit of thy loyns and of thy womb You 'l count it an argument of a whorish woman that shall be so unnatural as to go into a desert to bring forth and shall then leave her childe there You have chosen to bring forth your children in the wilderness whereas you might have brought forth in Paradise had not Eve your mother been in the transgression and led Adam also into that wilderness O tremble to think of leaving them where you bear them You 'l say What can we do for our little babes what are they capable of Why as soon as they are born you can wash and cloath and feed their bodies that are not bewildred and can you do nothing for their bewildred lost souls you cannot counsel or instruct or correct them they are not capable but yet you may pray them out of the wilderness Learn of Hannah she had a way to bring her son to Zion to the Temple to the Lord 1 Sam. 1.11 by supplication from the womb and by dedication or giving up to God from the breasts ver 28. Take thy childe from the wilderness 't is better carrying it to the temple CHAP. II. Contains the second third and fourth Particulars that from the womb in the wilderness boys and girls yong men and maidens in the wilderness of sin proved and applyed 2 From the womb in the wilderness SEcondly As in the womb and day of birth so from the womb and birth-day the unregenerate are spiritually bewildred Take your account from the very womb the Scripture will begin as soon as you which saith Psalm 58.3 The wicked are estranged from the womb as soon as they be born they go astray You use to say of little children they have no hurt in them verily as soon as they have any thing in them they have hurt in them as soon as they go they go astray and what 's that but to be bewildred Isa 48.8 Thou wast called a transgressor that is one turn'd out of the way from the womb The very first steps that the childe can take when it begins to go alone are steps in the wilderness quam primum ingreditur transgreditur Have you not observed rebellion and the old Adam in the first gestures and looks and broken words that your children learn won't won't saith the childe when 't can say no more and wrangles and fights against it's best friends Surely 't is not for nothing that the Holy Ghost so often joyns the character of our natural state to the word children thus children of wrath children of disobedience rebellious children children that are corrupters back-sliding children c. I believe that though he speaks unto men and women yet by the phrase he imports as the former Scriptures asserted that they began those ways when they were but children Friends you delight in your children when they begin to go O pity them herein that now they begin to go astray Thirdly as little children newly speaking are speaking lies 3. Boys and girls in the wilderness and newly going are going astray so boyes and girls I mean of bigger growth playing in the streets of your town you may finde them sporting in the pathes of the wilderness In this sense is that 's too true that God hath promised to fulfil in a better Isa 6.7 8. The sucking the weaned the little childe playeth with the lion and leopard and lay their hands upon the hole of the asp and cockatrice den And verily the elder they grow in years the farther they go into the wilderness The Devil counts it not lost labor to play with your children in the streets to teach them sinful words apish gestures and to tread out such pathes in the wilderness for them as their little feet may take pleasure to trample in But hearken little children and I will tell you a story that may teach you the fear of the Lord If little children even little children you of five six or seven years of age will be medling with the sinful ways of the wilderness the wilde beasts of the wilderness will not be far off Turn your children often to that sad story 2 Kings 2.23 There came forth little children and mocked the prophet and said Go up thou bald head go up thou bald head a business perhaps that some of you would rather smile at then smite at in your children and say more years will teach them more wit c. but these though children
of blood yet at length sin shall sting like an adder and bite like a serpent of the wilderness Prov. 23.32 Vse To yong ones Now to come up from the the wildernes Hearken then you yong ones unto me and I will shew you an excellent way Youth I know is of all ages and states most desirous and indeed most free for travel but it pities me to think that so much gallant youth and the strength thereof should be spent in wandring up and down in the worthless wilderness of sin Encouragement 1. The fitness of youthful time for that travel rather if you will be traveling remember Canaan Oh! what a time is the strength of your youth to make out your way from the wilderness of sin Thou hast some strength to rush through the thickets more then an old man hath and if thou lose a little of thy flesh in breaking through the thorns thou art yong and thy flesh will come again if thou lose by repentance as to carnal respects there 's time enough before thee to have amends made thee I observe as the yong ones were those of the Israelites that got through the wilderness unto Canaan Numb 26.64 so at this day those that are converted are converted yong ten to one of those that live to be old and yet come to be new born If old men will have their old ways still and scorn to learn a new lesson being old yea if their joints be stiff and their knees feeble that they cannot travel yet let us yong men get up and be going and the Lord be with us This day the Lord calls you yong ones from the Lions deâ— and Leopards mountains if you refuse this call to day you will mourn at the last when your strength is consumed and say How have I hated instruction and mine heart despised reproof Prov. 7.11 12. Take a tree from the wilderness when its young set it in your Garden keep it and water it c. and little fear of its death but take an old tree from the wilderness and transplant it in your Orchard and do what you will there is little hope of the life of it if there be 't will cost much ado much weeping to water it c. hear David crying Psalm 25 6 7. Remember thy tender mercies remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions If thou have only thy youth transgressions or bewildrings to reckon for it will be work enough for thee though thou have thy youth strength to do the work in Secondly As this is the fittest time for thee 2. The acceptableness of youth herein unto God so is it the most welcome time to God young ones if you did but know how kindly the Lord would take it to see you come up from the wilderness such youthfull Spouses leaning upon the Beloved it would ravish your hearts within you I le give you a tast for God hath bidden me go and cry in your ears saying Thus saith the Lord I remember the kindness of thy youth the love of thine Espousals when thou wentest after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sown Jer. 2.2 Oh Christ the Shepheard is come into the Wilderness to seek and to save that which is lost Oh if thou wilt in thy youth be so kind as to follow him till thou shall come to Canaan God will never forget this love of thine espousals say not that thou art too young to marry Christ the younger thou art the better Christ will like thee CHAP. III. A fifth particular to wit that mans estate is a bewildred estate the world is a wilderness proved generally proved particularly the first particular poverty a wilderness opened and applyed Fifthly Mans estate a bewild red estate FIfthly Men and women as soon as they enter upon the world as we say that is upon the heart of the world they enter upon the heart of the Wilderness The world is a Wilderness to the unregenerate for here grow those Thorns that choak the word of God The world is a wilderness here are the thorns Mat. 13.22 He that hath the word choaked by the Cares of this world is said to receive it among thorns When the Word meets with a worldly heart it is like good seed sown in a thorny wilderness Worldlings you that hear me this day I appeal to your consciences if it be not so In comes a note or an observation an advice or a conviction and up start the thorny worldly thoughts that are within thee even whilst thou art within the reach of the word and choak that good seed Here are the the entangling waies that it brings not forth Again The world is a wilderness to the unregenerate for here are those crooked and foul waies that are the entanglements of the poor soul the Apostle 2 Pet. 2.20 mentioning the pollutions of the world saith They are entangled therein and overcome The world is a thorny thicket and entangling wilderness to the unconverted My friends were it only your Babes and children They that enter upon the world enter the very midst of the wilderness and youth that were bewildred it were less to be feared you might hope that when they came to have experience of and to understand the waies of the world they might come to understand their own waies or at least if you were not your selves lost you might set them into the way But let me tell you what ever you think or speak of Men of the world know not what way they wal in or unto any man Oh say you I know well enough what I do and about what I go and what way I am in there is not an unregenerate heart amongst you but is so far bewildred as not to know the way that thy soul is in Prov. 20.4 Mans goings are of the Lord how then can a man understand his own way He that is a stranger from Gods waies is altogether ignorant of his own waies nay how can he understand them Mans goings are known of the Lord The interpretation of this Scripture may be according to Prov. 5.21 Mans waies are before the Lords eyes and he pondereth all his wayes T is Gods prerogative to understand not only his own waies but thy waies as it is the Saints prerogative that know God not only to understand their waies but Gods waies but it is thy misery neither to know Gods waies nor thine own Prov. 12.26 The way of the wicked seduceth him Seduceth that is his very way leads him out of his Way It seems a right way unto him but the end thereof are waies of death Prov. 14.12 The end of his way he thinks is thriving and riches and a comfortable life this thinks he will be the end of his grinding the faces of the poor and cheating the rich and this he thinks is a right way he may lawfully buy as cheap and sell as dear as he can But the end
such a rich man is I could have such a cordial and such a Physician and such attendance that doubtless I should quickly get up again 3. Over-hard thoughts of Gods dispensations towards himself vers 10. Waters of a full cup are wrung out unto them Nothing but wrath and the dregs of the wrath the very wringings out of wrath are he thinks reserved for him And vers 13. All the day long have I been plagued What all the day long take heed of saying so nothing but plagues no mercy no refreshment no breathing-time no intermission I do not beleive it You think to hardly of the Lord. This is a great transgression to think that there is nothing but plagues in poverty 4. Wretched yet ordinary thoughts of losing the bands of poverty for slacking the cords of conscience thoughts of getting more liberty in the world by taking more liberty in the wilderness I mean in sin vers 13. Verily I have washed mine hands in innocency and cleansed mine heart in vain I had better turn flatterer and so get favor with the rich or cheater and so grow rich than be as I am having a name of innocency but consumed and undone with poverty this is a great and grievous heart-transgression though it never come so far as it did not in Asaph and will seldome do in the Saints as unto the act 2. The transgressions of the life and conversation 2. To their lives and practices Prov. 30.9 Least I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vaine You cannot steal without taking Gods name in vaine and you cannot be poor unless you be rich in grace but you 'l be ready to steal 1. From men by dishonesty in your callings and dealings with them and this is to make Gods commandment which is his name to be in vain 2. Or at least from God by taking that time to thy worldlie cares and labors which thou oughtest to reserve for Gods service and herein thou contractest such guilt as that God will not hold thee guiltless for the Lords Ordinances are his name 3. From thy self by hindring thy soul of those precious advantages which the gain of ten thousand worlds cannot recompence Perhaps thou art earning two pence or a peny at thy loom whilst thy soul might have been converted and for ever enriched at a Lecture And judge you when the word is preached and thou neglectest it because of thy poverty when thou mightest rise well perhaps one day in the week an hour sooner or go to bed an hour later dost thou not herein steal from thy poor soul and take the name of the Lord in vain Vse To poor ones bewildred by poverty Advice as to their thoughts of heart 1. Then a word as to the wilderness of thy thoughts then of thy waies 1. If thy poverty-thoughts bewilder thee take Christs councel take thou little or none of them better for a poor man to be quite without thoughts then to be bewildred by his thoughts Mat. 6.25 Take no thought for your life vers 31. Take no thought what you shall eat or drink or be cloathed with vers 34. Take no thought for the morrow that is no distracting disturbing bewildring thought better no thought at all then such thoughts Or if you will be thining 1. Think of your God often Daniel had nothing but pulse to live on Dan. 1.12 yet Daniel could think of God and make solemn supplication three times a day Dan. 6.12 Seek then the Kingdom of God first and those things shall be added Mal. 6.33 Therefore 2. Think of your voyage out of the wilderness often if you be never so poor God will bear your charges unto Canaan God will enable thine old cloaths to keep thee warm still if thou canst not get new Deut. 29.5 I have led you fourty yeers in the wilderness and your cloaths are not waxed old nor your shoe upon your foot And God will make thee as fat with pulse as the children fed at the Kings Table Dan. 1.15 2. As to the wayes of their lives 2. As to your life maintain holiness in your waies when the beasts of the wilderness even the strongest and most ravening of those beasts the young Lions shall suffer hunger that is those that can range in the waies of the wilderness in the pathes of sin to get an estate or a liveliehood any how then they that fear the Lord are sure to want nothing Psal 34 10. God will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly that 's in the right and strait waies Psal 84.11 CHAP. IV. Riches a wilderness to the unregenerate opened and applyed SEcondly 2. Riches a wilderness to unregenerate ones Riches themselves are but a wilderness to carnal ones 1 Tim. 6.10 The love of money is the root of all evil What then grows up from that root truly thickets enough to make a wilderness remarkable are the two things that follow in the same verse First they that have coveted it have erred from the faith there are the paths Secondly they have peirced themselves thorough with many sorrows there are the thorns of the wilderness Hence 2 Pet. 2.15 They have forsaken the right way and have gone astray following the way of Balaam What 's the reason Who loved wages of unrighteousness Express is that language in all three Evangelists Mat. 13.22 Mark 4.19 Luk. 8.14 We read it the deceitfulness of riches but the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies a way and the privative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in plain English riches whose property it is to lead out of the way Or which translation of the word cannot be quarrelled with the bewildrings of riches More particularly riches of the world are subject to bewilder by the multitudes of their occasions temptations and excuses 1. Riches set men round with a wilderness of occasions 1. Their occasions so that they know not which way to turn toward Canaan Pro. 30.9 Give me not riches saith Agur vers 7. least I be full and deny thee vers 9. When the house is full of Mammon seldom it is that there 's room for God I am bold to understand fulness of business created by riches as one sort of fulness here meant He hath so great trading and so many to speak with so many wayes at once to go that he hath not time to speak with God as he goes by or to walke in the wayes towards Canaan or to trade for heaven I have very rarely observed that any man hath had more time for heaven then another by having more of earth then hath another If the rich man can finde time enough from his occasions to have a lesson set him or to hear it read Good master what shall I do to be saved he can by no means stay to take it forth He went quickly away for he had great possessions Mat. 19.16 22. The rich have barns to
mercie break in upon it Psalm 40.12 Encompassing horrors For saith David innumerable evils have compassed me abeut mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of mine head therefore mine heart fails me These are the very words and if this do not make a very Wilderness I know not what can Now when is the time that God sets the sinners sins in such order as this is He tels you in Job 36.8 9. They be holden in the coards of affliction and bound in fetters then he shews them their transgression wherein they have exceeded that is to English the word Transgressions their bewildrings wherein they have gone astray 2. As the horror of what hath been 2. Sorrowfull thoughts of what is so the distracting thoughts of that which is are enough to bewilder him Balshazzar in his dying day though he were in the midst of his Nobles his Concubines his wise men and Astrologers his wine his women his dainties his delights yet in the midst of them all was he in the midst of this Wilderness and as you know at an utter loss for saith the Text His thoughts troubled him Dan. 5.6 What thought he must I now die and leave all this Leave all this and be taken away Be taken away and know not whether And must I leave this Crown this companie this glorie these delights to lie down in the dust and in the noysom grave O! such and thousands more such were his thoughts and if these were not enough to make him at such a loss as he was Encompassing sorrows and so to bewilder him See Psalm 116.3 The sorrows of Death compassed me Observe the Phrase the sorrows of Death are surrounding and therefore they are bewildring sorrows As sorrowfull friends stand round about the dying mans bed so do these bewildring sorrowfull thoughts stand round his dying heart Pray Sits What do ye now think you will then think of Certainly you cannot tell 3. Fears of what shall be Thirdly as the horror of what hath been sorrow for what is so fears of what is like to be nay what is sure to be cannot but bewilder the dying sinner You have heard that the horror of sin is an enclosing horror you have heard the sorrows of the grave are enclosing sorrows Encompassing fears and so are these fears enclosing and therefore bewildring fears Jer. 46.5 Fear was round about on the right hand and on the left hand above beneath forward backward Look which way the sinner will or the sinner can there are these fears Look backward sin makes him afraid on the right hand and the wrath of the Lamb scares him on the left hand and the roaring Lion frightens him upward and God and Heaven and Judgment make him afraid and downward and Hell fils him as full of fears as it is of such sinners as himself is So that here is fear round about and therefore a Wilderness If these horrors and sorrows and fears were onely on the right and on the left one might get out before or behinde but seeing they encompass you cannot but think that they bewilder Oâ—herâ— a Wilderness to dying sinners I might add that as the dying sinner is a Wilderness to himself so usually others are a Wilderness unto him He makes choice of wicked and vain and carnal companions for his friends whilest he lives and in his health and God in judgment hemms him in with them when he comes to die Is there nor many a dying sinner in whose conscience Hell-flames break forth in his sick bed and then O! for such a Minister such a Christian He vomits up his sins and cannot be quiet casts up mire and dirt and yet he cannot rest he must speak with them and carnal friends are about him that would not perhaps have any thing break out because they have had fellowship with him in his sins and they smother all again The Minister's not at home We sent to such a man and he will not come at you when perhaps there 's no such matter Yea the carnal Physician must counsel O! let not him be sent for if he come the sick man will spend his spirits and it will be enough to undo him to spend himself with speaking Or thus You shall not need so to trouble your self or them You shall not die but live saith the Physician No fear of dying this bout and yet presently drops the poor bewildred sinner into the dust whilest these carnal friends stand just like the greener and fresher Trees of the Wilderness round about him And as you have heard whilest they be thus folden together as Thorns they shall be devoured as Stubble fully dry Nahum 1.10 And this leades me unto thoughts of Hell it self As Death so Hell is a Wilderness to the wicked for Hell followed with him Rev. 6.8 The souls that depart in the Wilderness of sin must hence to the howling Wilderness of Hell 8. Hell a Wilderness to departing sinners there shall be weeping and wailing yelling and houling and gnashing of teeth I would have you to reckon no more difference betwixt Sin and Hell than just betwixt the Wilderness unkindled Hell a Wilderness but set on fire and the Wilderness set on fire For Wickedness burneth as a Fire it shall devour the Briars and Thorns it shall kindle the thickets of the Wilderness and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke Through the wrath of the Lord of Hosts is this Land darkened and the People Mark the People are the Trees of the Wilderness shall be as fuel of the fire no man shall spare his brother Isai 9 18 19. Sinfull mates in that day shall betray and accuse and do what they can to make one another brands in the burning that have been here as brethren in iniquitie Therefore houl ye for this day of the Lord it shall come as destruction from the Almighty Isai 13.6 And where shall this fall but upon the houling Wilderness For when the boughs thereof are withered that is fit for burning they shall be broken off the women shall come and set them on fire and he that made them will not have mercy on them Isai 27.11 For this he hath resolved that he will go through them and burn them up together v. 4. So true is that which God speaks figuratively in that sense which is most spiritual Sin shall have great pain Ezek. 30.16 God speaks it of that material Wilderness that is of the People that dwelt round about that desolate place You will finde it as fully and sadly true of the spiritual Wilderness of sin if ever you come to Hell When Sin comes to have great pain when this Wilderness is set on fire that 's Hell Reade Ezek. 20.47 And thus you see from first to last the unregenerate are spiritually bewildred young and old living and dying they are in a Wilderness of sin From
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
2. Such as trust to their endeavours Secondly for such as endeavour but trust to what they do these are as far out as the other Ask them what will you make your prayers your righteousnesse your alms your attendance upon the word your duties your Saviour will you rest there why those as you have heard are but part of the waies of the Wildernesse still Say you so saith that soul nay but you shall never make me believe that doth not the Scripture say wash you make you clean Isa 1.16 Cast away your transgressions make you a new heart and a new spirit why will you die turn your selves and live you Ezek. 18.31 32. Doth not the Scripture say If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the Land Isa 1.19 Why I have done thus and I have been thus and why should not I expect to live by what I have done and to receive what God hath promised as I have done what God hath commanded And so when the forementioned soul shall come and tell God that he is an austere Master gathering where he did not sow if he bid them do what the Scripture saith they cannot do as that wicked servant Luk. 19.21 The later wil come and boast and glory in himselfe as that wicked Pharisee Luk. 18.11 God I thank thee I have been and I have done so and so Now both these are out of the way and yet they think that Scripture is their guide as that blasphemous Papist who when he had vented his popish tenets and as he pretended and perhaps thought managed them by Scripture hee breaks out in a wretched rapture If I saith he be deceived decepisti ô Petre decepisti ô Paule Peter and Paul had deceived him Scripture had deceived him c. but amongst all the rest forgets that which was truest that the Devill transformed into an Angell of light had deceived him Querie But in this case what shall we do I confesse they are to be sadly pitied that erre and think they have the Scriptures company and countenance in their Erring although I believe there are many that pretend the Scriptures against their own light as Satan to our Saviour Answ I answer Wee are not in the least from hence to slight the true guidance of the Scriptures no more then wee should cease to drink because some abuse the good creature unto drunkennesse But now that we may come at this true guidance I shall entreat you to deal by Scripture as the Apostle saith of the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.29 Let the Prophets speak two or three and let the other judge and ver 32. The spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets Let 's hear what the Scriptures can say that put the soul upon working as if it had a self-ability and le ts hear what those speake also that call the soul off from leaning upon its owne indeavours as being when it hath done all an unprofitable servant and le ts hear what a third shall judge of them both and surely if both kinds of Scriptures should seem to strive as I may so say a third would come in and say as he said vitulo tu dignus ille est both have wonne Read but Phil. 2.12.13 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and and to doe of his own good pleasure You must work it out yet it is God that worketh in you It is God that worketh in you of his own good pleasure yet you must work it out yea and therefore for it is God c. 2dly As to times 2. In two sorts of times there are two sorts of them as to Gods account six daies he hath given us the seventh he hath reserved for himself Now then all the week the men of the World spend peaceably in seeking onely after the World 1. Weekdaies all the week-daies I say and they would not have you blame them for it if they hear a Lecture now and then they think that 's more then they need to do the Minister is beholding to them for their Company and God for their attendance and they 'l have Scripture to follow too Why is it not written Six daies thou shalt labour 'T is true say I but again is it not written therein thou shalt do all that thou hast to do and hast thou nothing to do for a poor soul hast thou a Family to provide for and many things to do as Martha about them and hast thou no provision to make for a poore soule of a truth this is exceeding sad 2. Lords-day Again when the Lords day comes then some in the City or in the Town sleep it eat and drink it almost all away rising that morning very late as having sate up very late the night before at work and goe that night to bed very early that they may be up soon on monday morning to follow the World They take their penniworths out of the sleep of their Apprentices all the week before and they willingly suffer their Apprentices to take their penniworths out of the Lords day morning and evening and they will tell you they have Scripture for it too why doth not Scripcall it a day of rest Again as for those that live in the Country and have other kind of affairs they think if they wait but on the publick Ordinances they do hugely well for as for all their other time they spend it in foddering or milkng or looking after their Oxen and swine and sheep and the like And doth not Scripture tell them they may do so they 'l tell you that Christ allowes it them Mat. 12.11 But doth not Christ that allowes thee to pull an Oxe out of a ditch upon the Sabbath much more require thee to pull thy poor soul out of the fire with fear and trembling Thou thinkst it is fit to look after a dumb Creature that is gone astray upon the Lords day and may perish if thou looke not after it and the Sabbath thou l't say from Scripture is a day of mercy True but doth the Scripture give thee leave in such a day to be onely cruell to thine owne soule that that may be lost and wander in the Wildernesse and never bee lookt after Oh! take heed whilest you pretend to be led by Scripture-guidance lest you become unrighteous Judges of the Scriptures in your own thoughts though God hath said That he will have mercy and not sacrifice yet how canst thou thinke that in such a day God will have mercy shown to Beasts and to Bodies and not to Souls And thus you see how Satan makes it his businesse by Scripture-guidance to bewilder soules I could multiply instances Instance in distressed Consciences Alas how doe poore distressed Conscience urge Scriptures against themselves to hinder themselves from laying hold on Jesus Christ and to the condemning of themselves and their courses
are too many as a stone to stumble at who know not that the goodnesse of God in them should lead us to repentance Mercies as Rom. 2.4 Thou stumblest at the Globe of the Sunne or of the Moon that dishonourest God by day or by night under the light of the one or influences of the other Yea other sorts of providential Dispensations there are as Corrections and at these the darkned and bewildred soules stumble Chastisements if they be not as staires to help them nearer unto God they will be as stumbling stones over which they fall and on which they shall be broken see Isai 1.5 6. Why should they be striken any more they will revolt more and more it followes the whole head is sick and heart is heavy from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head there is nothing but wounds and bruises and putrified sores Oh! who sees not what stumbling here hath been Sirs the day is comming when you shall know that upon every Affliction whereby you have not risen to more holinesse and faith and obedience c. You have stumbled to wit the day wherein you shall be made sensible of the wounds and bruises that now are in your Consciences but now you are in the heat of blood the heat of sinne and like wounded Souldiers go on still without feeling it Secondly Bewildred benighted sinners 2ly Gods word and at Christ therein stumble at the Word of God and at Jesus Christ in that word yet know it not In every Sermon where Christ is revealed and tendred they stumble at him and you may say of these as of those that Crucified him himselfe said That they know not what they do Peter tells you 1 Pet. 2.7 That to them that believe Christ is precious but unto them that are disobedient verse 8. he is a stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence even to them which stumble at the Word as 1 Cor. 1.23 Christ crucified to the Jews is a stumbling block Onely now take heed that it be not with you as with one that gets a fall when he is drunk and feels it not till he be sober therefore give glory to God before your feet stumble on the dark mountains Jer. 13.16 Fourthly Bewildred and bedarkned sinners 4ly They fall they know not when fall they know not when suddainly or ever they are aware It is not unusuall in this wildernersse for soules to stumble upon a Lyons Den and to fall into it not thinking of it Joviall and merry at an Alâ—house to day and dead and damned in Hell at night I believe when the foole was that night cast into Hell he could not but be in a more sad extasie than one that should of the suddaine tumble into a Lyons Den. Ah! Lord what am I here am I here Lord What in Hell in Hell I dream't not of it Alas my Brethren now adayes as Solomon speakes because sentence is not speedily executed against an evil work therefore the hearts of the Sons of men are fully set in them to do evill Eccles 8.11 But faire and softly perhaps more suddainly then thou art aware of Jer 51.8 Babylon is suddainly fallen Marke her fall is suddaine to her shee knowes not of it down she goes and is not aware of it We would have healed her Note but she would not be healed verse 9. God commonly snatches soules that are under healing Dispensations and refuse to be healed suddainly away So God threatneth to send a Destroyer as a Lyon of the Forrest that falls suddainly upon his prey to fall suddainly upon them Jer. 15.8 Because they had gone away from God verse 6. Thus Isa 47. They were perverted verse 10. therefore saith God evill shall come upon thee that thou shalt not know whence it riseth and mischiefe that thou shalt not be able to put off and desolation shall come upon thee suddainly that thou shalt not know So likewise Isa 30.10 You have them turned out of the way and verse 11. trusting in such perversenesse verse 12. and therefore iniquity saith God shall be to you as a breach swelling in an high wall ready to fall whose breaking forth commeth suddainly at an instant Oh! if it had not been so suddaine the people might have escaped out of the house So if they had not gone to Hell in such a moment such an unexpected moment they may imagine they would have prevented it But hee that is bewildred in the darke falls hee knowes not when Oh! firs if you might die of Consumptions which you say are fine repenting times if you might know of death some years before hand Oh! you think you would be ready then but this suddaine suddaine falling that you shall not know of whence or when it shall be yet it certainly shall be let this startle you In one word or two then from what I have this day been speaking Is it so that soules are usually so blind because of spirituall darknesse Vses of these generall considerations that they know not where they are whither they are a going what it is they stumble at and are also ready to fall they know not when Oh then First Admire the exceeding mery of the Lord that he should ever as at this day send a guide with a light in his hand unto thee so bewildred in the dark Luk. 1.78 79. Through the tender mercy of our God the day-spring from on high hath visited us that 's Christ in the Gospell to give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Oh! that was tender mercy indeed let it be tenderly accepted by you Secondly Let it be as carefully improved Let not an hard heart lose the sweetnesse of such tender mercy My Brethren Christ is come in the dark unto you into the Wildernesse he hath bruised himself and pricked his own feet yea even pierced them through in comming to you and that he might bring you a light and lead you into the way that you have lost Is it a small thing to you that he should appoint this and that man to shew you the way of salvation as they say Act. 16.17 if it be yet think it not a light matter that the light himselfe is come to bee your guide Christ is come into the darksome wildernesse of the wicked World and now take heed of loving your darkness rather then light for Jesus himself saith Joh. 12.35 36. Yet a little while the light is with you walk whilst you have the light lest darkness come upon you for he that walketh in the dark knows not whither he goes While ye have light believe in the light that you may be Children of the light Thus have you heard in some generall Considerations how bewildring spirituall darknesse is I shall conclude them with an Observation from the form of the expression Jer. 2.31 Have I been a Wildernesse to
Israel a land of darkness When ever Satan leads you into a Land of Darknesse he leads you therein into a Wildernesse Thus in the generall CHAP. XVIII Containes particular sorts of bewildring darknesse 1. Sort before conversion in six particulars Opened In particular Three sorts of bewildring darknesses BUt more particularly There are three sorts of soul-bewildring darknesses some before Conversion some in it some after it 1. Sort. Before Conversion 1. There are bewildring darknesses before Conversion that Satan improves to hinder the soule by from conversion Such as these 1. Stupidity and sottishness First The darknesse of sencelesse stupidity and sottish ignorance It may well be called darknesse and you know 't is a bewildring darknesse Isai 1.3 The Ox knows but Israel doth not know The bruit Beast knowes what 's good for it selfe but bruitish Men and Women doe not know You complaine of a sottish poore in your Towne that have no more sence of spirituall good then the stones of the streets that they tread upon and the blocks that they sit on You know that stocks and stones if they bee in the wildernesse there they stay there they lie they have no sense to remove themselves but Beasts if they be in the Wildernesse if danger approaches if the Lyon roars they have knowledge to runne for it to change their place posture and condition but miserable Men and Women can hear the voice of the Lord in his providence in his Word as the roaring of a Lyon and yet stay where they were and as they were and in the same posture they were in even in the Wildernesse of sinne still and this is the reason they are blockishly ignorant and stupid as to spiritual things Now unto what shall I liken the people of this Generation 't is even like unto Aegypt Exod. 10.21 23. There was a thick darknesse darkness that might be felt so that no man rose from his place for the time that that darknesse continued so there is thick darknesse upon these Spirits so that though they be in an Aegypt in a Wildernesse they stirre not because it is a Land of darkness wretched hearts that mind onely to day what they shall eate and what they shall drink and wherewith they shall be cloathed and perhaps scarce that but how to arise spiritually from the place they sit in the condition that their soules are in verily hereunto they have no knowledge and thus they sit in darkness and in the shadow of death Luk. 1.79 They sit in darknesse and though the shadow of death be there yet 't is darknesse and therefore they continue in it 1 Thes 5.5 6 7. We are not of darkness saith the Apostle therefore let us not sleep for they that sleep sleep in the night This is that night and that darkness you may know it by their sleepinesse When men are asleep you may speak in the roome and they heare not the Gospell the voice of God is in the midst of this sottish Generation but they are in the night in the dark and asleepe and therefore it is that they receive it not But unto such if there be any here let me tenderly speake as Paul Rom. 13.12 v. 11. Know ye the time that it is now high time to awake out of sâ—â—p for the night is far spent and the day is at hand therefore cast off the works of darkness But if you will not let me tell you as the Father told those painted and spotted Ladies of his time that God would not know or acknowledge them for his Creatures in the Great day because he made them of another colour and without those Spots So may I and dare I say and you shall find it too true that God will not own your sottish hearts as his in the day of the Lord because hee made you intelligent and knowing soules and now the restitution of knowledge to you is tendred in the Gospell so that the day is come and the night is spent but you sit still in your places as they in the Aegyption darknesse Neither do I tell you this but God himselfe by the Prophet Isai 27.11 It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour This is the first sort of Darkness and millions of them that are called the Christian World are bewildred by it I proceed to the 2ly The darknesse of inconsiderateness The second sort of Darknesse and that is Inconsideratenesse You have this with the other Isai 1.3 Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Many of them are so stupid that they know not and those that know doe not consider this is also a bewildring Darkness Read Job 34.24 25 27. He shall break in pieces mighty men without number And when shall hee doe it verse 25. He shall overturn them in the night and why doth he doe it verse 27. Because they turned back from him Note and would not consider any of his waies I have observed that very few either of the richest of all or poorest of all ever come to get out of the Wildernesse but it is a middle sort of persons what is the reason Why the very poore know not and the very rich care not they consider not they thinke the things of God are below their Cognizance although through Education their parts are sublimated to some knowledge Now this is here said of the Inconsiderate Great ones as was proved before of the bruitish poor ones that they also perish in the Dark in the night the are overturned verse 25. If Inconsideratenesse then be such a bewildring night of darknesse 't is no wonder that the Lord doth so perswade us to consider our works and waies and that Satan doth so designe to hinder us as Prov. 5.6 Lest thou shouldst ponder the way of life her waies are movable Oh! Satan cannot â—ndure that thou shouldst consider the way of life Hence also those Counsells Prov. 4.26 Ponder the path of thy feet c. Eccles 5.1 Keep thy feet c. and offer not the sacrifice of fooles for they consider not that they do evill 'T is want of consideration that makes soules to lose their footing their ground their way but ponder the path of thy feet and thy waies shall be established Prov. 4.26 So that inconsideratenesse is as Darknesse yea and it is a bewildring darknesse Let me perswade you therefore that are intelligent to one step forwarder I meane to be advised to ponder and lay to heart the things that you know belong unto your peace How many soules continue lost under the means of knowledge in the darksome wildernesse of inadvertency and non-consideration I have considered my waies and turned my feet into thy Testimonies Psal 119.58 And as for such as will not consider let them know First That though they consider not their owne waies yet they are considered for
God ponders them Prov. 21.2 Every way of man is right in his own eyes but the Lord ponders the hearts Secondly God will make the most inconsiderate heart amongst you perfectly to consider another day Jer. 23.18 Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord and hath perceived and heard his word Who hath marked his word and heard it there 's his challenge of their inconsideratenesse but what followes verse 20 In the latter dayes you shall consider it perfectly You have heard of Inconsideratenesse in what they know of the things of God The Third is Unperswasibleness 3ly The darknesse of unperswasiblenesse as to that which they do in some sort consider this is also a bewildring darknesse Now men in the state of lost nature are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Unreasonable or absurd men 2 Thes 3 2. Men whom no Arguments from any Logical Topicks are able to perswade Now marke such kind of Spirits as when they knew God yet would not bee perswaded to glorifie him as God as you have it charged upon them Rom. 1.21 'T is said in the same verse That their foolish heart was darkned This was the darknesse of unperswasion and this darknesse is now naturall unto the Children of men for the Apostle calls them Eph. 2.2 Children of disobedience so our Translation but the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Children of unperswasion such as will not bee perswaded and so you have it sadly rendred Luk. 16.31 Neither will they be perswaded though one arose from the dead Poor soules they cannot bee perswaded that God meanes as he saith of Death and Hell and Judgement Can not nay they will not be perswaded As one that I once heard of that in discourse was directed to a place of Scripture that spake point-blank against him saith he I can't find such a place saith the other Look here it is nay then saith he I will not see 't So say you We can't find what need wee have of Gods Counsell and of Christ and of Grace saith God looke here and I will shew you what need you have and how undone otherwise you are c. Nay then saith the Soule I will not see I remember a plaine Observation of a Childe where I was once was playing in the Yard and his Father out of the Window called him in the Boy was eager of his play and though his Father call'd againe and againe yet came he not in at length his Father told him that he would bee sure to whip him if he would not come yet hee could not perswade him in at length in hee fetches him and whips him Sirrah saith he did not I tell you that if you would not come in I would lash you yes Father saith the Childe you said so but truly Father I did not believe you So God calls and exhorts and perswades sinners and tells them if they will not now they shall consider afterward if they will not come in now they shall be fetch'd in and damned to eternity whether they will or no And my Brethren if God shall as he surely will aske them at the great Day Did not I call you by such a Ministry and such a Minister by such and such a Sermon and did not I tell you what would come on 't Hell and Wrath and eternall ruine if you came not in Oh! the poor soule trembling and astonished will answer in that day yes Lord thou didst so but truly Lord we did not believe thee thus are sinners unperswasible ones even the Children of unperswasion God cryes out Turn ye at my reproof but when he calls they refuse when he stretches out his hand no man regardeth Prov. 1.23 24. And therefore though he calleth from Lebanon from Amanah from Shenir and Hermon yet they continue through their unperswasiblensse in the Lyons Dens and Mountaines of the Leopards yet still Fourthly Presumption is also a bewildring darkness 4ly The darknesse of presumption and its businesse is to hinder the soule from Conversion To what shall I liken a presuming sinner 'T is even that beast which when he is in danger of being seized on by the Lyon as his prey runnes his head presently into a bush and because the head is in the dark and sees no danger therefore it thinkes it selfe secure Or as I have seen a Boy that when his Father hath gone by at a distance the lad hath hid his head behind another lad so that he could not see his Father and therefore hath beene very confident that his Father hath not seen him Presumptuous sinners runne their hearts into the thickets of the Wildernesse they walk themselves in the darke not seeing God and therefore they presume that the Lord takes no notice of them and this verily is the very nature of presumption Psa 73.11 They say how doth God know and is there any knowledge in the most high Psa 64.5 They commune of laying snares privily they say Who shall see them Wretches that if they get but into a blind Ale-house where the Magistrate can't see them think themselves past all danger when they are as much in it as that Creature that while it turnes away its face from beholding its devourer exposeth its whole body to bee his prey In such a darksome bush shal a presumptuous sinner be caught instead of being hid and be destroyed instead of being secured for Psa 139.12 The darknesse hideth not from God but the night shines as the daie the darkness and the light are both alike unto him As to Gods eye and eare thou hadst as good the Magistrate should heare every Oath thou swearest thou hadst as good bee staggering in the streets and whore as Zimri in the openest view as to go into a Corner and say Doth God see it because thou turnest away thine eyes from beholding of God 5ly The darkness of despair Fifthly Despair is also a bewildring darknesse utterly obstructive to conversion Presumptions product commonly is Despaire and well may they goe together like Egge like Bird. When Sinners have spent the most of their time in presuming they many times spend the rest of it in dark despairing Oh! wee have so long mocked God that we can't thinke but if God should tender salvation now to us it would bee but to mock us Oh! I have so long walked aside from God that if I should now turne to him he would undoubtedly turne quite away from me this is the way of dispaire that many poore ones that are willing if they durst to close with God are bewildred in and this is called which is pat to our purpose a walking in darknesse Isai 50.10 Who is there among you that feareth the Lord c. that walketh in darkness and hath no light c. That is clearly and eminently to be understood of the darknesse of black dispaire God would before but they would not they would now but they are affraid that
the Action she comes up leaning upon one to whom solely she commits to whom wholly she submits her selfe upon one with whom she dares fully trust to whom she freely can yeeld her selfe she leans with all complacential satisfaction with all conjugall subjection 'T is her beloved she leans upon Now the End of this Action is the foresaid Motion she leanes on him to come up by him This is a Mystery but it is spoken of Christ and Converts of Christ and his Church A Mystery say I and so saith the Text a matter worthy the enquiring after and admiring at Who is she that comes up from the Wilderness Who is she that comes leaning upon her beloved ye daughters of Jerusalem look out at your windowes and aske who comes yonder 'T is your sister 't is your sister the daughter of your Mother she was dead but she is alive again born dead by her that once bare her but raised up under the Apple tree by him that now bears her she was lost but she is found she was cast out into the wilderness in the day that she was born to the loathing of her person but now she comes up from the wilderness leaning on her Lord in the day of her espousals Call her no more Mara but Naomi for the Lord hath dealt very graciously with her see how she leanes and look how he perfumes behold how she looks like pillars of smoke with all powders of the Merchant So let the Lord Jesus be glorified in his Saints so let him be admired in all them that believe Who is this that commeth from Edom with dyed Garments from Bosrah There 's a wondering at the Bridegroom Who is this that comes up from the VVilderness Here 's a wondering at the Bride He that speaks in righteousness mighty to save is the Bridegroom Isai 63.1 She that needs a Righteousness and a mighty salvation is the Bride 'T is a joy in heaven and a wonder on earth to see them together and never never like to be put asunder she leans on her beloved that is her Lord Jesus Christ her Lord that commands her to come from Lebanon Cant. 4.8 Her Jesus that inableth her to come home from the wilderness Lu. 15.4 5 6. Her Christ that perfumes her with Mirrhe and Frankencense with all Powders knowledge righteousness and true holinesse as Prophet Priest and King while she comes up from the wildernesse Cant. 3.6 And as you have Prophet The fourth main Doctrin There is no salvation for lost soules but onely by leaning on the Lord Jesus Christ Priest and King in one Christ so she leanes on the Lord Jesus Christ in one beloved Come we therefore to The fourth and last maine Observation viz. There is no coming up from the Wilderness of sin but onely by leaning upon the Lord Jesus Christ that is Gospel-reliance on Jesus Christ is the onely way of salvation to lost sinners Lost souls had need be leaning souls for there is no recovery of the sinner but by recumbency on the Saviour Eve was the first that was in the transgression she comes out of the wildernesse though an exile from Paradice looking at Christ in her promised seed whom she therefore names SETH Gen. 5.25 A foundation to be leaned upon Abraham of old hath respect unto his day and bottoms his joy thereupon Joh. 8.56 David though his Father yet calls him Lord Lu. 20.43 And in the day of Calamity this Lord saith David was my stay Psa 18.18 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * In sustentaculum of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Niph Jnnixus est and properly signifies the Lord is my leaning stock And Mary though his Mother while the Child was yet unborn leans for salvation upon the Babe in her womb Lu. 1.47 He is the annointed the accomplished Saviour Proof of the point sent on purpose to seek and to save that which was lost Luk. 19.10 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Act. 4.12 Christ is that living stone to whom we must come that Corner stone upon which all the building doth leane and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded and unto them that believe he is precious beloved indeed of the leaning soule 1 Pet. 2.6 7. And even in this sence may I say Other foundation can no man lay than which is laid which is Jesus Christ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul c. This is the great Commandement in the Law Thou shalt lean on the Lord thy Redeemer with all thine heart and with all thy soul c. This is the great Commandement of the Gospel Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory Isai 45.22 24 25. I shall therefore endeavour the proof of the point 1. By taking from under you your other supports 2. By roling your soules with mine own upon Jesus Christ And 1. For Negative proofe of the point by way of removal of other leaning stocks 1. Negative By removal of other leaning stocks I may say in the general of all other supports what is said of the Hypocrites His hope shall be cut off and his trust shall be a spiders wed He shall lean his upon house but it shall not stand he shall hold it fast but it shall not indure Job 8.14 15. A poore house you will say that falls if the Owner of it doe but leane unto it such are all Christless supports to the lost soule 'T is recorded of Absalom That having no Children for his Name and Memorial to rest upon he built him a Pillar 2 Sam. 18.18 that was before that he had or else when he had buryed the Sonnes spoken of Chron. 14.27 Let those soules that never have heard of a Christ to rest upon make Pillars for themselves of other things But as one living Son would be better then a thousand dead Pillars so is one living Saviour of infinitely more value then 10000 dead supports for thy poor soule to leane upon I shall speake particularly to these nine the onely likely leaning stocks Particularly these nine none of which shall without a Christ stand thee in stead when thou leanest upon them First If thy leaning stock be thine old acquaintance with God as Creator 1. Leaning upon God as Creator 't is as nothing if it goe alone in order to salvation many poor creatures have this and no more to lean to VVhat do you think God that made me will damn me yes truly I doe thinke so if thou have no more to say for thy selfe for if this were enough to salvation none no not Devils should be damned It is not old acquaintance as a Creature but new
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
fast an acceptable day to the Lord Oh! how might this qualme our heart from leaning upon such humblings if we consider how different an estimate and value the Lord and we set upon them Nay my friends there may be something done in good earnest by way of Reformation that is not yet to be leaned unto Some reformado Drunkard may say perhaps As long as I haunted Ale-houses I could have no peace of conscience but now I have left those courses grown civil I can walk very quietly calmly this is well that thou hast left off the practice of sins that did once ensnare thee but if thou stay here or lean hereon all is nothing Mat. 12 44. The house was empty and swept and garnished that is it was voyded of sinne reformed and now had some garnish of civility formality or the like but because it was emptied of the former uncleane spirit and not filled with Christs spirit the first in time returns v. 45. and takes with him seven spirits worse then himselfe and they enter and dwell there and the last estate is worse then the beginning verily this may well be called a repentance to be repented of The poor man thinks if his bad tenant such a corruption were out it 's no matter for getting Christ in But godly sorrow worketh repentance never to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 There are it should seem repentances to be repented of and undoubtedly of this sort is every repentance that you rest in or lean upon 8ly Leaning upon the promises without Christ Eighthly If you lean upon the promises of God themselves and not upon Jesus Christ in them this will also come to nothing Whence is it that you shall have so many soules bringing a promise to the throne of grace and carrying so little away from it I feare it is frequently from hence because they leane unto promises without leaning to Christ in the promise Thus you shall find the Jews in scripture to leane much upon the promises of the Messiah who when Christ came that was the Messiah him they rejected altogether Thus many would willingly owne the promises that will not leane upon Jesus Christ But what saith the Spirit 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in Christ are yea and in him Amen That is the assurance stability certainty of them all standeth in leaning upon Jesus Christ He is the Yea and Amen of them Now what a vanity would it be for a man to put a Paper in sute which hath neither yea nor amen to it neither hand nor seal to it Sir might he say to any man These are your Articles you know you wrote them wrote them saith the other but who subscribed them who sealed them the Hand and Seal are the confirmation of the Bond which without them let it relate never so much is worth nothing in Law no wise man will leane to it so vaine a thing is it to put any one promise into sute at the throne of Grace because all the promises in Christ are Yea and in him onely Amen without leaning upon Christ in them for indeed they say nothing what ever they say there is neither Yea nor Amen in them there 's nothing affirmed to thee in them nothing confirmed neither hand nor seal to these Bonds if thou have not Christ therefore thou hast no part nor portion in this matter Ninthly Yea 9ly Leaning upon God himselfe out of Christ though you should leane upon the God of promise without leaning upon Christ in whom he hath promised the Lord would reprove thee for making choice of himselfe as an absolute God for thy Leaning-stock You have some severely threatned by the Lord that are yet said willingly to lean upon the Lord Mich. 3.11 God was in Christ reconciling sinners to himselfe and seeking lost soules 2 Cor. 5.19 Woe to them that come to him not bringing this his Benjamin along with them Lean not immediately I mean without the Sonne but by the Sonne upon the Father for as the Lord hath limited himselfe by his owne purpose and word of truth wherein it is impossible for God to lye God can do nothing for a poor lost soule without Jesus Christ therefore to speake with all reverence and holy sobriety to come to God without Christ for spiritual helpe or support is to come to one that cannot helpe you because he hath resolved and said he will not and it is uncomfortable leaning where we are forbidden to expect reliefe My Brethren it may be in great concernments as needful for us to have interests in a great persons Secretary or Officer of his Seal or his Lord privy Signet or Master of Requests as to have favour from the Prince himselfe because his Law and way whereunto he in forraigne freedome hath bound himself is to dispatch such things by such officers and by his Seal which is in his Officers keeping and not to dispatch them otherwise so that if one be supposed to come to such a King and sue for the accomplishment of such a business and do not bring the Officer with him by which the King wil onely transact it the King would put him off and say My Lord Keeper c. is not in the way and nothing can be done without him Now Jesus Christ is the Lord Commissioner and sole Commissioner of the broad seale of Heaven the onely Master of Requests unto the great King of Glory come then with as much confidence of Gods favour as those in Micah even as it is possible for any Christlesse soule to have the Lord will utterly reject thy sute and turn thee backe until thou look out the Lord Jesus Christ to come with thee unto the Father and thus much Christ himselfe hath told thee No man comes to the Father but by me Joh. 14.6 But why speake I thus mildly herein Sirs should you bring your Christlesse soules and cast them upon the Throne of an absolute God for a resting place having not made the Kings Chamberlain first your friend as they did in the Acts 12.20 without making the Angel of his presence the Lord Christ your friend behold Divine justice would immediately spie you out and as soon cry out Behold a REBELL in the Court and so apprehend you and immediately deliver you to the Tormenter for ever thus it was with them Mich. 3.11 They will by all means lean upon the Lord and yet this God vers 12. expresly declares that he will plough them up and make them to become heapes Now friends if God himselfe will not be leaned upon out of Christ what then shall poor Christlesse Creatures dare to leane unto And thus much for removal of other leaning stocks Secondly 2ly Positive proofe by propounding Christ as the only leaning stock I come now to assert and propose Jesus Christ as the onely stay and stable support for lost soules to leane upon And that upon this cleare and familiar evidence If you leane
to reckon them up and what they did by faith this he inserts in the close of all Heb. 11.34 A double instance 1. Wouldst thou have thine understanding strenthened thou must become a fool That out of weakenesse they were made strong I shall illustrate this in a double instance 1. Wouldst thou have strength into thine understanding by leaning unto Christ for strength truly thou must goe in all manner of sense of the weaknesse of thine understanding to the Throne of Grace and complaine of thy blind heart in that language I am of yesterday and know nothing or in Asaphs Psal 73. I am brutish and ignorant and as a beast before thee If thou goe knowing to the Lord Jesus thou shalt come away ignorant if thou goe blind thou shalt come away seeing if thou be a fool when thou goest to him thou shalt come savingly wise from him if thou goest in the thoughts of selfe-wisdome thou shalt be a fool at thy comming away 1 Cor. 3.18 Let no man deceive himselfe if any man amongst you thinketh himselfe to be wise let him become a fool that he may be wise 2ly Wouldst have thy whole soule strong thou must be sensible of thy weakness in will affections c. 2. If thou wouldst by leaning upon Christ derive any strength into thy will or affections thou must goe in the sense of thine infirmity viz. That thou art not sufficient of thy selfe so much as to thinke any thing that is good that thou hast from thy selfe neither to will nor to doe thou must come complaining as Paul Rom. 7. When I would do good evill is present with me 21. Nay that thy will to good is but weake and thy will to corruption strong so that the law of thy members doth not onely warre but take thee captive to the Law of sinne as he complaines ver 23. and cryes out upon it Oh wretched man that I am ver 24. Then comes he out of this Wilderness leaning on the beloved I thanke God through Jesus Christ ver 25. A two-fold word of improvement Before I goe farther I shall desire to fasten this more upon your hearts by a word of improvement to you that hear me this day And 1. To those that are truly weak comfort 1. To those of you that are truly weake Is it so that none can leane upon Christ unlesse they be as thou art here then is abundant matter of rejoycing and reviving to thee where thou thoughtest there was nothing but sadnesse even sorrowing unto death There have sundry soules come sad unto me upon this account and this was the great burthen of their complaint Oh! I am so weake in prayer of such a weake judgement that I cannot discern or so weake a memory that I cannot retaine the things of God and surely it can never be well with me and truly mine heart hath often leapt within me for joy to behold this their sweet sorrow these poor ones do not find others complaining so much of weaknesse and therefore they thinke that every one is indeed stronger then they Now to such let me speake even to those amongst you whose strong holds the weapons of our warfare have been pulling down and whose strength the Lord hath weakened that if there be any cause of rejoycing unto any soule on this side Jesus Christ it is barely and onely our being made weake by Christ or our thorough sense and feeling of our weaknesse out of him and herein verily we may boast so farre as our weaknesse gives an objective advantage unto the glorifying of the strength of the Lord so saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 12.9 10. I will glory in mine infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me yea I take pleasure in my weaknesses for when I am weake then am I strong Methinks I am sent this day with that message unto such soules that I meet with Isai 35.3 Strengthen you the weake hands and confirme the feeble knees Say unto them be strong ver 4. What ever infirmity you can complaine of I think the Lord hath there on purpose answered you The blind shall see the deafe shall heare the lame shall runne the dumb shall sing verses 5.6 Yea the wayfaring men though fools shall not erre in that high-way that way of holiness and which is there to be remarked all these promises are made to wilderness-soules ver 1.2 6 c. As if so be the Lord should on purpose say whatever weaknesse you can complaine of it shall not be able to hinder your everlasting joy spoken of v. 10. Secondly Let me speak to those of you that are strong 2ly To those that are selfe-strong confusion of face but not by leaning on Jesus Christ Let me tell you that had you no more to answer for or to reckon with God for then your very strength there is enough for the Lord to confound you yea and he will confound you That God that is resolved to stain the pride is resolved to pull down the strength of all flesh Woe be to thee whose strength is in thine hearing or praying or Alms as Samsons was in his haire The Lord will be sure to cut off thy proud locks and then where shall thy strength be found These are the soules that compasse themselves with sparks of their own kindling that warme their hearts at their own fire and say aha aha such as these shall have no hold on the name of the Lord no stay upon the beloved but instead thereof this shall they have of the hand of the Lord they shall lye down in sorrow Isa 50.10 11. CHAP. III. Discovers how soule-weariness fits for Christ Opened and applyed 2. Weary souls as well as weak BUt you wil say are there not some weak ones that rest in their ever complainings of their weaknesse as well as some strong ones that rest in their strength truly I believe there are of whom we may say as Paul of those women that were ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth 2 Tim. 3.7 So there are some that are ever complaining of their weaknesses as to the things of God which are never able because not truly willing to grow stronger or to come up to any strength of grace They feare that Christ will not break the bruised reed they think that he surely wil pitty the weak and such are they and here they rest taking neither due care nor paines to grow any stronger these some have entitled The whining Hypocrites Now therefore The weak and weary of their weaknesse are fit to be leaning souls In the second place It is not onely weaknesse but weariness that disposeth the soul for leaning effectually upon the Lord Jesus The soule that is weake and weary of its weaknesse for indeed as the strength that we spake of was the Pharisees weakness so the weakness we spake of the Hypocrite makes it his strength But now that soule
world whatever thy merchant from thine youth hath been bid them farewel let them goe to their quarters expect not to be saved by any of them come to be weary of them all or else there is no true leaning upon the Lord Jesus Christ 3ly Selfe and all its perfections Thirdly Of Selfe and its glories and perfections Some that have been converted have been so proud of a fore-top a lock and garb an attyre formerly that they have thought they should never be weary of them or of pleasing themselves in them but now when they have come to draw neare to Christ they have been soon weary of these and most readily fling them from them So Paul even of his selfe-righteousnesse calling it dross and dung away with it Phil. 3. Thus Hab. 2.14 The people shall labour in the fire and weary themselves for very vanitie When God casts all our perfections into the furnace and we come to see that there comes forth nothing but dross we shall as Paul be weary of our selves as well as weary our selves because there is nothing in us but very vanity And that Hab. 3.16 is very eminent When I heard saith he my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice when God speaks conviction and terror to the soule rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my selfe that I might rest in the day of trouble Marke you the onely way to have a sure support in a troublesome day is to be as much weary and willing to go out of our selves as a man would be that lodgeth in a very rotten house when that winds and stormes are at the highest Unless thou have trembling and weariness in thy selfe thou wilt never have strength and rest in Jesus Christ Secondly But how may we know 2ly How we may discern our wâ—ariness whether we be thus weary yea or no I answer By our willing desisting from former labour by our appetite after refreshments by our glad acceptance of a convenient resting place First By desisting from former labour 1. By desisting from our wearying labour viz. the work that wearied us You perceive that a man man growes weary when he becomes solicitous to take up his Inne and indeed though all ceasing from labour at all times be not an argument of tyredness in the worke yet when ever thou art tyred in any worke thy vote will be for surceasing from the labour so though every leaning of sinne be not an argument of through-weariness because there may be as many occasions of a mans suspending the sin as of the formers suspending the work that he delights in though he be not weary of it yet when the soul is thoroughly wearied of sin it will desist from sin and if there be a ready and free sitting down from sinne 't is a good argument of the soules wearinesse I think what Isaiah observes concerning them that had wearied themselves with so often going down to Egypt Isai 30.7 Therefore I have cryed concerning this their strength is to sit still the s me may I say to poor sinners that have wearied themselves in going down unto uncleanness drunkenness formality c. their strength is now to sit still that is to desist from their wearying trade of sinning You know the language of a truly weary one is such as this I will I can go no farther and this is the language of a soule in conversion Job 34.32 If I have done iniquity I will do so no more or in Jobs own language when at length God had made him weary of his standing upon his own righteousnâ—sse Job 40.5 Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but I will proceed no farther There 's the voyce of true wearinesse Oh! that I could heare some drunkards of you this day crying out so often have I been drunk or so long have I been a drunkard but I will proceed no farther and so for every other sinne Thus long have I leaned upon my own performances but I will doe so no more c. 2ly By our appetite after spiritual refreshments Secondly The weary will have a thorough-appetite unto refreshments Thus Siserah was thirsty Judg. 4.19 Being weary ver 21. Yea Jesus himself being weary asks for water of the Well Jo. 4.7 So spiritually weary souls will be spiritually hungry and thirsty souls I have saciated the weary soul Jer. 31. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse they shall be satisfied Mat. 5.6 If thou be very much a thirst for the waters of life 't is an argument thou art weary of the Wilderness wayes of death And if thou be thus thirsty thou wilt have an heart to desire and a tongue to beg yea continue begging till thou get reliefe 3ly By our willing close with Christ our resting-place Thirdly If thou be weary thou wilt be glad to sit downe and to close with a convenient resting-place thus Jesus when he was weary sat down on the Well and thy soul if it be weary will be glad to sit downe on Jesus Christ My Brethren if you were indeed weary your soules would leap within you to heare the words that you have heard this day concerning the refreshments to be had in the Lord Jesus Two suspitions that few are weary But on the other hand there are two things that too too plainly speak the most of the Children of men to be little weary of the Wilderness 1. That they can passe by Christ and forget their resting-place 1. That they can come to the Inne where soules should lodge and where there is as faire and convenient accommodations as the whole heaven can afford for weary Spirits and passe it by without turning in that they may be refreshed I le never believe that man to be perfectly weary who when he comes to a good Inne and especially be solicited to alight shall spur on and say no let us ride an hour longer or we will goe three or four miles farther If an Ague take you by the way and tyre you oh say you When shall we get in sight of the Inne Upon this account is the Lords challenge Jer. 50.6 They have gone from Mountain to Hill they have forgotten their resting place Ah! it 's a slender signe that a Traveller is thoroughly weary that passeth by and forgets to take up his lodging at his resting place Soules you do but dally with God if you pretend to be weary of the wayes of sinne and vanity and yet can come by Jesus Christ in so many Sermons c. and forget to sit down upon him or to lodge with him 2ly 2. That though they pretend tyrednesse through sinne one while yet are they quickly fresh for sin againe That they can pretend as some do to so much tyredness in the wayes of sinne to day whilst some strong convictions are upon them that can be fresh againe for sinne to morrow I le never believe that
think that the Prophet sent away Naaman into the house of Rimmon with a Goe in peace and tels them You are an happy man I would we had more such as you are I would not have you to question farther you will do very ill to trouble your self with any doubting thoughts and indeed what should they answer more or other for the line is like the Coâ—py they set and the man hath done what they have called for This is to strengthen the strong whom God would not have strengthened for had this man come to one that takes up the Gospel from Christ's own mouth he must have said Oh! but sir one thing you lack You must go and strip your self of all this strength your righteousnesse will not here availe you You must part with all and become a begger or you can never become Christs Disciple and although you have been one of the best the strickest the choicest of Pharisees you must see your selfe to be the chiefest of sinners Go and sell all that thou hast is a Doctrine seldome preached by such Ministers or regarded by such hearers Ministers weakening those hearts that God would have made strong Againe Let others come to them with hearts full of sorrow and eyes full of tears Oh sir I know not what to do I would pray but I have no strength to it I would believe but I cannot and why say I that I would alas alas I have no strength to will any thing that is good I find every corruption very strong and nothing strong but corruption and truly I am even weary of my life because of mine infirmities Good sir What must I do how shall I get a better heart c. Why saith some Minister You complain much but perhaps mend as little you must go and turn from your evill waies and amend your doings repent and pray and read and keep your Church I cannot give you a joâ— of comfort or speak any peace unto you till you grow better And canst thou not this truly is to weaken the weake whom God would have made strong this is to speak a word altogether out of season like raine in Harvest or snow in summer unto him that is wearie 't is as if a Physitian should say to a fainting man ready to swound away you must stay till you be thorough well before I can give you a cordial But it is Christ's work and should be ours to give Cordials unto such to make them well and for my part I hope I shall account it my work where-ever I see a lost soul strong to weaken it that Christ may give it strength or if another be throughly weake and weary to helpe it up as much as my poore endeavours may any way thereto conduce unto the shoulders of the Lord Jesus Christ And therefore my now-design in stead of Application Improvement shall be an endeavour first to Weaken and then to weary the lost souls that are amongst you if so be that thereby they may be made ready for the shoulders of Jesus Christ And First For the weakening of your Christlesse strength 1. To the weakning of your Christless strength Surely the weapons of our ministerial warfare are peculiarly meant 2 Cor. 10.4 5. where they are said to be mighty thorough God to the pulling down of strong holds this is as I said Gods work and it is to be mine this day and indeed there is a strong man and an armed that is in every Christless soule that must be cast out before ever the grace of the Lord dwell in that heart Mar. 3.27 And 't is in vaine to say to the everlasting doors stand open unless you have cast every carnal unregenerate strength out of doors for every such strength will lay hold on the bolt and manage the bars so that Christ himselfe saith No man can enter into the house It is our ministerial charge to pull down as well as to edifie to weaken strength and to strengthen weaknesse to root out and to plant to throw down as well as to build Jer. 1 10. I shall therefore take the Axe of truth and lay it to the root of your strength this day Two or thee blowes if God strike with me shall be sufficient to cut it downe and down with it my Brethren even to the ground why cumbreth it your souls First 1. Consid your choycest strength is with very weaknesse Consider the utter weaknesse of thy choicest strength to stand before the immense the inconceivable and infinite justice and wrath of God with which thy strength must wrestle and encounter Wert thou to contend with man or to enter into judgement with the Sonnes of men perhaps thy slender broken finit strength might helpe thee to prevaile but it is God with whom we have do whose very weakness is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 And then what is his strength Thy strength O Pharisee we know and thy power we know but who knowes the power of Gods wrath even according to his fear so is his anger Psal 90.11 Did thy soul feare him more then woulst thou understand the power of his wrath better though when all is known that can be understood it passeth knowledge Who knows it Holy Job was most graciously under this conviction Job 9.19 20 21 22. If I speak of strength lo he is strong and of judgement who shall set me a time to plead If I justifie my selfe mine own mouth shall condemne me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Though I were perfect yet would I not know my soul I would despise my life That is mine own strength were enough to ruine me therefore had I more of it then I have I durst take no notice of it because I have to doe with the most strong Let this serve for the first blow 2d Consid All your Christ lesse strength is idolatrous Secondly Consider that what ever strength thou hast on this side the strength of God in Jesus Christ it is idolatrous And wilt thou look to be saved by an Idol I observe in Scripture that amongst the many expressions that it hath for an Idol the strong is one of them Isai 1.31 The strong shall be as tow that is the Idol shall be as tow and the maker of it as a spark and they shall both burn together and none shall quench them What ever thou makest thy strength on this side Christ thou makest it thine Idol If thou makest prayer or hearing or alms thy work c. thou dost well but if thou makest them thy strength thou makest them thine Idol and so thou and thy prayers and alms and just dealings shall down to hell together they shall be as tow that is as fewel to the flame that shall be in thy Conscience and none shall be able to quench them from burning together to all eternity Therefore may I yet say unto you now your Altars and images and
assent to this truth thou must needs infer that it is a tyring travaile 2ly Only beds of thornes to rest upon Secondly As wearying as the wayes are so when ever thou comest to lye down at night you have but tyring entertainment in the wayes of sinne and nature He travailes with paine all the day and this saith God You shalâ— have of mine hand you shall lye down in sorrow Isai 50.11 Oh! how wearying must it needs be to travaile in sinne and then when we have done to lie downe in sorrow 'T is want of sence in thee not of truth in these Scriptures that thou dost not thus feel it for the present but there is time enough before thee for thee to know it in 3ly From experience Thirdly For Experience I shall appeale to Heaven to Earth to Hell to all things Created or uncreated God Men and all other Creatures for their Vote herein 1. Gods owne experiedce Your wildernesse wayes have wearied him First I shall appeale to the experience of God himselfe what ever the matter is that thou art not weary of thy Christlesse wayes there 's enough in them all in the best of them all to weary God himselfe Hear him speak First There is enough in thy worst waies Isai 43.24 Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities It may be so saith some selfe-righteous One with the wicked God may be angry and with their iniquities be wearied but surely not with my services with my devotions Yes Yea even the best of them 2. With thy best services Isai 1.13 14. Your Oblations New Moons Sabbaths solemne services Though these were Gods own appointments they are saith God a trouble to me I am weary to beare them Secondly I appeal to the experience of all men 2ly Experience of al men as soon as they come but to understand things as they are whether Noahs Dove or his Raven I meane the best or the worst of men First For the Saints they can say I dare say for them 1. Saints experience that the Lord made them weary of other things as a man would be of carrying a load of dross or a burthen of dung when Gold or Silver is offered unto them in their stead Phil. 3.8 or as a childe that would quickly be weary of its lapfull of stones when one comes and offers it an apron-full of plums 2dly For the worst of men Those that are in Hell 2y Experience of the worst of men have already found they that are yet on this side Hell shall quickly find what weariness there is in the wayes of sinne and vanity Isai 2.20 In that day that is the day of Conviction shall a man cast his Idols of Gold and his Idols of Silver which they have made each one for himselfe Mark that every mans particular Corruptions and beloved lusts to the Moles and to the Bats that is they shall be utterly weary of them let who will take up their trade after them they 'l follow it no longer Thirdly I appeale to all other Creatures 3ly Experience of the whole Creation all wearied under the burthen of sinne even this whole Creation I tell you that the Sun is tyred in its Orbe with beholding the abominations of the Children of men by day and the Moon and the Stars in their courses by seeing their works of darknesse in the night I tell you the Earth would sink under you as it did under Corah Dathan and Abyram as weary to beare the burthens of your sins if the Lord would but give it a discharge Yea how doe the very houses of Clay that sinners dwell in spew them up and cast them forth in a few yeares as if weary of being so long possessed by them Yea how doth the very Gluttons and Drunkards stomack tell him to his face that it is weary of bearing his surfeiting and drunkennesse and therefore disburtheneth it selfe upon the ground This is no Notion or Hyperbole of mine but a very expresse truth of God and so to be by you laid to heart Rom. 8 20. The Creature was made subject to vanity And we know ver 22. that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in paine together untill now The very Heavens are weary of covering and the Earth of bearing wretched sinners and their continuall groan in their kind unto God is Oh! when shall there be an end of sinning Oh! when shall we be delivered verses 19.21 2ly Aggravated Your not being weary when you are wearied a symptom of spiritual death Secondly Is it so that there is so much in sinne to weary thee and yet thou art not weary truly this is the most dangerous and mortall symptome that can be imagined As it is the saddest signe of a red-sea ruine to be humbled so often with Pharoah and yet not to come once to be humble so it is for thee to be so often wearied by sinne and never to become once weary of it Sinners I dare appeale as the last appeale unto you Consciences even such as they are whether you have not often wearied your selves with drinking drabbing c although you were never yet weary of the sin for the kind yet wearied by the sin in the act Thus those wretched Sodomites who were now near a double Hell even first an Hell from Heaven and then an Hell in Hell Gen. 19.11 They wearied themselves to find the doore wearied yet not weary And wilt thou not be weary Yes friend thou must and thou shalt be weary onely thy wearinesse shall be when times of refreshing shall not be but when thy case is beyond Cure thus was Moab and oh let every one of us all take up that lamentation from the mouth of the Prophet Isai 16.11 My bowels shall sound like an Harpe for Moab and mine inward parts for Kir-haresh Why what 's the matter ver 12. It shall come to passe when it is seene that Moab is weary on his high place that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray but he shall not prevaile Oh! now father Abraham one drop of refreshing water to coole my tongue but it shall not be granted 'T is said of the Grave that there the weary be at rest but the quite contrary shall be said of Hell Oh! sirs you are not weary enough to drinke in the waters of refreshments to day I had almost said here is much water and little or no thirst there shall be thirst enough such as it will be but no water When a sick man hath been a long time tossing his wearied body on this side of the bed first and then on that and after all these weariednesses come to lye still and stupid and senslesse of any wearinesse what doe we I pray you reckon this but the sleepe of death When wretched sinners come to be wearied with every sinne so that the Lord can say they weary themselves and yet their cursed hearts can say We are not weary eternall death is in
this mans countenance We that are Physitians have some sad reason to give him over Jer. 51.64 Thou shalt say Thus Babylon shall sinke and shall not rise from the evill that I will bring upon her and they shall be weary She had wearied the people of God with her cruelties and God himselfe with her abominations but she her selfe was not weary well saith God thou art now a sinking O Babylon and thou shalt be weary So say I thou art quickly a sinking into the Grave O sinner and into Hell and verily thou shalt be weary What say I thou art sinking into Hell what Such are the veriest pictures of Hell above-ground and if I should say thou art an Hell above ground Verily there can not be such another picture of Hell drawne as thou art who art wearied every day with sinning and yet art fresh for sin still The Heathens themselves represent the infinity of the torments of Hell by one Sysiphus who say they is damned by the Gods to rowl a great stone up a very high hill and ever when he hath gotten it up neare the top it is to tumble down again upon him perpertually time after time and truly is is a pretty strange kind of piece of heathenish Divinity if they believed what they said though it were but fabulous yet had their hearts some nearer guesses at the truth then the daring sinners that are amongst us Their figure was something like but thine is exact for as Dives in hell suffers unconceivably to day yet is perfectly fresh for the sufferings of to morrow and so unto eternity so thou sinnest to day and travellest in pain and weariest thy selfe to commit iniquity yet art thou perfectly fresh for sin to morrow We wonder to think how damned spirits contract fresh strength for their new torments and so they shall to all eternity but we need the lesse wonder if we observe wearied sinners getting fresh strength for new sins for as face in water answereth face so doth the heart of sinners upon earth answer the heart of sinners that are in hell for these would also be fresh for sin if God should suffer it unto all eternitie So then as its a sign of a Saint-like heavenly mind to be spiritually universally weary of the ways of nature so farre as they hinder from leaning upon the Lord even so weary of them as he is of his guest Prov. 25.17 Remove thy foot from thy neighbours house least he be wearie of thee and so hate thee to be so weary of them as to hate them Father Mother Wife Children Lands c. which must be Luk. 14.26 Yea so as to be weary of their life because of temptations unto sin Gen. 17.46 As Rebekah was of the daughters of Heth least they should draw her Jacob from the Lord if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of the Land what good shall my life doe me so say they as long as temptations prevaile against them they are even weary of their very lives because of their lusts so it is a very signe of a very reprobate mind and hellish heart to be able to go in the waies of the wildernesse of fin and there to run without weariness and to walke without being faint A word to those that are weary of no waies but Christs waies But still there is one thing that I cannot passe over but must lay it upon your hearts as a lamentation viz. since none can lay hold upon Jesus Christ but those that are weary of all other waies What shal we say to those that are weary of none but his waies I finde it an easier matter by many degrees to make some of you by close preaching wearie of the word to goe to ride to house your selves from the wearying word then to make you weary of the world to leave to hate or to forsake the toyling vanities and wearying wayes of fin It is to be observed concerning the people of the Jewes when now the Lord was wearie of them and the precious Ordinances were taking wing as weary of their despised aboad among them and the word of truth was a flying from Malachi to Matthew and from the Jews unto the Gentiles to whom it might be new newes and welcome His great controversie upon which he parts with them is this Mal. 1.13 Ye also have said that is of my service of mine institutions as you may see in verse before Behold what a weariness is it and ye have snuffed at it saith the Lord of Hosts What a tedious man say some is this hee never knoweth when to have done and then they look at the hour-glasse and snuffe and nothing tyres them so much as these holy things Ah this is plain-dealing when thou saist so God also deales as plainly with thee Mal. 2.17 You have wearied the Lord with your words Well met you wearie of God and God of you but ah poore Creatures who shall have the worst of it Now all that I have said this day I have spoken to this end that if any amongst you are hereby wearied and made truly weary you might know where to have a resting place My God hath said unto me concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as to Isaiah as to Israel Isai 28.12 This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshment but oh my brethren let it not be said of any of you as of Israel in the words of the verse that run on but you would not And so I passe on to the CHAP. VI. Containes Querie second for what are lost soules to leane upon Christ Answer 1. For all their strength 2d Question In order unto what lost souls are to be leaning soules Answer SEcond Question For what it is that lost soules are to lean upon the Beloved The answer of this Question will be obvious from the answer â—f the former for if the weak and wearie be the onely true leaners then 't is strength and rest that they are to leane upon Christ for 1. For all their strength First Lean upon Jesus Christ for all your strength You have heard this hinted that they that would stand against the bewildrings of Satan must be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6.10 Art thou weake Why 't is strength yea the strength of the Lord and the power of his might that thou art to leane for upon Christ nothing else will serve thy turne and that thou maist have by leaning I shall speake to three comprehensive particulars leane on Christ as the alone strength of what thou hast of what thou dost and of what thou art viz. 1. Of what they have 1. Lean upon Christ as thy alone strength in respect of all that thou hast or wouldst have Wouldst thou have grace or comfort believe and thou shalt receive strength to re-receive these Heb. 11.11 By faith Sarah her selfe also received strength to
that trust on Christs name Jo. 14.26 The Holy Ghost whom the Father shall send saith Christ in my name shall teach you all things and shall bring all things to your remembrance even whatsoever I have said unto you If young Preachers that know what beleeving meanes could but lean more upon Christ in this promise they need not lean so much as themselves complaine to their Notes Hath not Christ said that his Spirit shall bring to our remembrance what soever he hath said And what have we to say more If we have for ought I know our memory may be indeed most faithful to us wherein it may seem most to fail us whilst we forget against our wills what we should have omitted with our wills And how can it harme us or spoyle our Sermons if we be content to forego our fancies that we may act our faith The former may please and advance our selves the latter shall advance Christ and please the Lord. 3ly Leane upon Christ as the strength of your Wills I le grant to the Arminians that our wills are strong enough for Rebellion and too strong too even as an iron sinew but alas alas as to the strings of God even a Ephraim 〈◊〉 heartlesse Dove Wouldst thou now be strengthned there also Read Psal 110. Which is evidently spoken of Christ to whom it is affixed Heb. 1.13 ver 2. Send forth the Rod of thy strength out of Sion and then mark vers 3. Thy people shall be a willing people in the day of thy power If ever thy Will get any sanctified strength it is onely in the day of Christs power and by the sending forth his strength Fourthly Leane 4ly Of thine affections one Christ as the strength of your Affections Sirs God will never be contented with your affections unlesse he may have the strength of your affections Thou 〈◊〉 love the Lord thy God with all thy soul and with all thy strength Luk. 10.27 Now unlesse thou have Christ in thine Affections as their strength they will be too weake for God or the things of God Now if you could lean more you would love more and feare and desire and hope and joy and put forth every other affection in more strength You have the Spouse leaning upon Christ in my Text which is verse 5. And as soone as she leanâ— see how she strengthens affections you would wonder there should be such suddain virtue in leaning for veâ—â— 6. she breaks out Love is strong as death the Coals there as the Coals of fire with a most vehement flame many waters cannot quench it neither can the floods drown it if man would give all the substance of his house for love 〈◊〉 would utterly be contemned If Satan saith she should uâ— never so much meanes if the Serpent should cast his golden Apple before me it would not allure me if the Dragon should send all the floods of his mouth after me it would not affright me but that I should still zealously ardently vehemently and unto death affect the dearly beloved of my soule such was the strength of her affections and this she gat by leaning on Jesus Christ CHAP. VII Containes Answer 2d Lost soules are to leane on Christ for all their rest 2ly You must lean on Christ for all your Rest SEcondly Leane upon Jesus Christ for all your Rest Sirs There are times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord for repenting and converted souls Act. 3.19 but those are onely by the sending of Jesus Christ verse 20. Till God send Christ to thy soule never looke he should send refreshings to thy soule Observe that of the Apostle Heb. 4.3 We which have believed do enter into rest and then verse 8. If Jesus that is Iosuah had giâ—â—â— them rest c. From which it appeares that there 〈◊〉 true and spirituall rest but of Christs own giving Iosuah brought them to Canaan but it is onely Christ Jesus that could give them rest And againe that there is no way for poore bewildred soules for of such is the Apostles discouse there to come at this rest but by leaning that is by believing But more particularly leane on Christ as the resting place of your Understandings Consciences Affections whole soules when wearied with the wayes of the wildernesse of sin 1. As the rest of your understands Fiâ—st Leane upon Christ as the resting place of your Understandings he is the great Prophet of his people Secondly Consciences Leane upon him as the resting place of your weary Consciences He is the great high Priest of his people Thirdly Affections Leane upon Christ as the resting place of your tyred affections he is the Lord and Husband of his people Fourthly Leane on Christ as the resting place of your whole soules Soules he is the God and Saviour of his people For the first viz. Our Understandings I shall lay down these two Propositions First 1. Of your understandings Two Propositions 1. Proposition That there is no resting place for our understandings in the knowledge of any other thing That there is no rest for them in the knowledge of any other object but the Lord Jesus Christ I shall prove it by the most eminent instance that any age in the world could give of it and it is Solomon who gave his heart to know wisdome and to search out all things by understanding as himselfe saith Eccle. 1.13 He had moreover all Opportunities and helpes which other working heads have wanted I am come saith he to a great estate and great experience of wisdome and knowledge verse 16. And what shall the man do that commeth after the King 2.12 such a King so great so wise so studious This wisdome of his reacheth so farre as to excell all the Children of the East and people of Egypt the wisest quarters of the world yea he had knowledge of all the Trees and Plants from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hysop of the wall yea also of all Beasts and Fowls and Fishes He had exceeding much understanding and largenesse of heart and wisdome as the sand on the Sea shore 1 King 4.29 30 33. And yet this Solomon saith of much study though undoubtedly as easie to him as to any man 'T is a wearinesse to the flesh Eccle. 12.12 And in much wisdome is much griefe and he that encreaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow Eccle. 1.18 So that both wearinesse to the flesh and toyle to the spirit is the onely rest to be expected in the confining of our understandings unto any other speculation save onely the knowledge of Jesus Christ 2d Propos That there is sufficient and ultimate refreshing to our understandings in knowing Christ But secondly Jesus Christ and the knowledge of him is the resting place of a tyred understanding Psal 94.12 Blessed is the man whom thou correctest and teachest him out of thy Law Though God take the Rod into his hand to teach him his lesson by yet blessed is
he and wherein is he thus blessed that comes to learne in Christs Schoole why verse 13. That thou maist give him rest from the time of trouble this will make thee a goodmends for the soarest whipping if thou learn the lesson of Christianity to day thou shalt have rest to morrow Thus God expresly speaking concerning this knowledge Isai 28.9 10 11. saith of it verse 12. This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshing And it must needs be that the knowledge of the Lord Christ must be a refreshing knowledge to the soule upon three accounts For 1. It is a spirituall First It is a spiritual therefore a refreshing knowledge to the Spirit 't is a knowledge of spirituall things and after a spirituall manner The understanding of things carnall or spirituall things in a carnal sort cannot indeed satisfactorily refresh the Spirit The soule that knowes Christ knowes him not after the flesh but spiritually and whosoever to knows him knowes the things that God hath prepared for them that love him and what are the things prepared but Mansions adequate and eternall rest which things being revealed by the Spirit and spiritually discerned by the soule are ravishing and refreshing to the soul your hearts bear testimony hereunto compare 1 Cor. 2.9 10 14. with Jo. 14.2 2ly It is an experimentall 2ly An experimentall and therefore a refreshing knowledge They that know Christ feele Christ and the feeling of him must needs be refreshing to them 1 Jo. 1.1 Our hands have handled the word of life this experimentall knowledge the Apostle communicates as being abundantly himselfe refreshed that their joy also might be full ver 4. Thirdly To know Christ 3ly A soule Centring knowledge must needs afford rest to our understandings because Christ is the very Center of all knowledge knowing him you need go no farther knowing him you may well sit down and rest and refresh your your selves for you know enough you know all 1 Cor. 2.2 I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified so Phil. 3.10 That I might know him and the power of his Resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings If Paul as learned as he otherwise was could but reach unto this knowledge he doth not once entertaine a thought that his wearied understanding should travell any farther 2ly 2ly Of your wearied Consciences Come and leane your weary Consciences upon Jesus Christ Oh! how do some complaine of tyred Consciences and how falne would they sit down but know not where to rest themselves This was Davids sad out-cry Psal 38.3 There is no rest in my bones because of my sin Now what shall such a soule do in such a case I le tell you in Isaiahs words Thus saith the Lord God the holy one of Israel Isai 30.15 In returning and rest you shall be saved in quietnesse and confidence shall be your strength that is return to Christ and lean upon him and you shall have rest and strength from him unto the quieting of your wearied and distracted soules But how shall weary Consciences doe to refresh themselves by leaning on Jesus Christ Question How that shal be Answer I answer Bring all your Conscience fraught and laiden and unburthen it upon Jesus Christ Christ doth not bid weary and loaden Consciences to lay downe their burthens 1. Lay downe thy burthens upon Christ and then to come unto him but come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden which undoubtedly and peculiarly refers to Conscience-loadings and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 That is bâ—ing your burthens to me and I le take them down 1. Vnlade the acknowledgements of your sins into Christs bosome First Let weary Consciences unlade all their acknowledgements and disgorgings of sinne into Christs own bosome immediately Thus David in the fore quoted Psalme 38.18 He resolves upon acknowledgement of his sin and this he empties into the Lords own bosome verse 9. 1. Your sinne-sorrowes Secondly As you bring your sin-acknowledgements so bring your sin-sorrowes to Christ let your faith put the Lord Christ to the same worke whereunto he is called by the Father to carry our griefes and sorrowes So Isai 53.4 Thus David Psal 38.6 When he was troubled and bowed down greatly going mourning all the day long he had immediate recourse to the Lord Christ 3ly Your wearying sighs and groanings Thirdly Let us also disburthen all wearying sighs and tyring groanes of our troubled minds into the bosome of Jesus Christ Thus David Psal 38.9 Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Wouldst thou pray down the guilt or groan down the power of any Corruption that clogs thy poore Conscience even to the making of thee weary of thy very life then leane on Jesus Christ and thou shalt find rest Yea this I would Note unto you before I leave you that Christ doth not bid weary soules to go to the Father Note but to come to him with their heavy loadings believe it 't will be ill leaning of a tyred Conscience upon God the Father with Christ the Advocate If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 Come not to the Father first but to the Advocate and by the Advocate to the Father If a man have a Creditor to speak with he will speake with his Surety first and if he can but engage him he can with boldnesse look his Creditor in the face But woe woe to that Conscience that comes sinful and Christlesse unto the great and righteous holy and sin-abhorring Majestie of the Lord God 2ly 2ly Take up Cordials from Christ Let thy weary Conscience take from Christs hand his Cordials as well as lay downe thy burthen on his shoulders 'T is true I am the chiefe of sinners so let repentance speak in thy soule yea But this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation so let thy faith speak viz. That Christ came into the world to save such I shall oâ—e day fall by such a strong Corruption if Conscience-trouble say so let faith say nay but Christ came into world that he might destroy the works of the Devill c. And thus in any other case of Conscience the way to have an heart sprinkled from an evill Conscience is to draw near in the full assurance of faith unto Jesus Christ having him as an High Priest over the houshold of God Heb. 10.21 22. 3ly 3ly Your wearied affections Leane your tyred affections upon the Lord Christ and in him let them rest themselves As to know Christ is the only true stay to the understanding so to love him c. is the onely true stay to the affections Set your affections on things above where Christ sits Col. 3.1 As who should say else will they flutter about as the wandring dove without any rest at all but in Christ they
not thinke onely of standing at his right hand and of receiving honour by him but also of doing homage and giving of worship to him If you must come up to Sarahs example in calling and and counting him your Lord. Thus David that Kingly Prophet takes him for his King and his Prophet whom he takes for his Saviour Psal 25.5 Lead me in thy truth there 's the first and teach me there 's the second for thou art the God of my salvation there 's the third So then since true faith doth ever take hold upon an whole Christ who is King Priest and Prophet whether it be granted that this Faith doth justifie as it receives Christ under the precise Nosion of Ruler and Teacher as well as of Priest which some affirme or onely of Priest and Surety as others doe judge that is solely as presenting his righteousnesse to God for us and as putting that his righteousnesse upon us and not as working that righteousness in us that is most usually called Holiness which seems chiefly as to respect the Princely and Prophetical office of Christ so to relate to that purifying or sanctifying act of faith spoken of Act. 15.9 rather then that justifying act of faith spoken of Rom. 5.1 Yet must I assert that no faith doth justifie but that which takes Christ for King and Law-giver as well as Saviour Isai 33.22 Faith justifies si non quâ totum saltem quae totum recipit respicit Christum Take heed soules of distinguishing here between LORD and JESUS as Judge Cook used to do by laying off of his Gown between Judge and Cook If Christs Coat be seamless surely Christ himselfe is divisionless And it is farre safer for me and you to be careful in uniting practically what God hath certainly joyned together then to be over-curious in distinguing notionally where if we divide practically we are undone everlastingly Yea are there not some Pilats that aske what is truth that even question Justification it selfe because some raise so various so dubious Questions about it and whilst these contend so much about the Cement they call into question the very Foundation and say the Builders shall agree before we build with them Yea and a receiving of him upon his owne termes Lastly I say a receiving of Christ upon his own terms Perhaps some guests would come to the Marriage when their Oxen are proved and their Farms managed c. and if they might first go and bury their Father Mat. 8.21 And thus would we be indenting with and thrusting our own terms upon the Lord Chrst but if we marry him we must marry on his own terms with him and what those are we shall have occasion to speak in the Hinderances and therefore thither we refer thee for the present Now therefore that soule that thus Assents and Consents unto Jesus Christ both in Vnderstanding and Will both in the knowledge and love of the truth the soul that thus Conceives and Receives of such a soule may we say in the language of Rev. 19.7 The marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready This is the soule that may and ought to lean the soule that may and must apply How to improve this interest this soule hath an interest And now let me call for the improvement This is the soule that should be much in meditating 2. By often meditating of this strength rest with Christ what strength and rest her Head and Husband hath received or her Psa 45.1 My heart is enditing a good matter what was that Why Things appertaining to the King and what are those a Throne and a Scepter vers 6. that is Rest and Strength and for whom Why For the Queen at his right hand vers 9. Now sirs doe we believe this that our soules are marryed to the King of glory Oh then O then why is it that we have such base and sordid familiarity and fellowship with this World surely the reason why there is so much Earth in our lives nay may I say so much Hell in our lives is because there is so little heaven in our thoughts Phil. 3.20 whereas our Conversation should be in Heaven whence we look for a Saviour 2ly 2. By often speaking of it to others This is the soule that should be much in relating what a gainer she hath beene by making Christ her beloved What Zeresh what Wife amongst you could hold your peace if your Husband should be promoted to be second man in the Land Let thy soul make her boast in the Lord To Christ himself and speak thou the things that thou hast meditated concerning the King Psal 45.1 Yea speak much of it unto Jesus Christ and say I am thy Spouse O Lord I am thy Spouse and thou hast received gifts for me therefore give strength give refreshings to me the language of Psal 68.18 speaking to Christ in the second person will warrant such pleas at the Throne of grace 3ly 3ly By enlarging affections towards Christ hereupon This is the soule that should improve her interest in Christ by enlarging her affections towards Christ Hast thou an interest in Christ for thy stay and strength say as David Psal 18.1 I will loue thee O Lord O my strength And indeed the stronger the love is the stronger the leaning will be Lastly 4ly By living the life of faith This is the soul that whose life should be made up of faith and of obedience Of Faith For saith David My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed and upon what is is fixed Why trusting in the Lord Psal 112.7 And obedience in the sence hereof Of Obedience Be the work never so crosse to flesh and blood never so great and difficult though fighting with Beasts though wrestling with Devils because she is strong in her Lord and in the power of his might Ephes 6.10 12. Never so tedious and tyresome though reaping in his Harvest even all the heat and under the burthen of the day because say the Apostles such a soule shall have rest with us yea even with Christ for when his Spouse hath wrought with him all the day of her life she shall lie down with him in the night of her death and rest from all her labours because she is interested in the Lord for so saith the Spirit Reu. 14.13 Thus the Church of Philadelphia when she had but a little strength improves it unto faith and obedience she kept Christs word there 's obedience she denyed not his name there 's faith therefore Christ will keep her from the hour of temptation and give her Victory over Satan and his Synagogue Rev. 3.8 9 10. And thus have I done with the Object viz. Christ prepared and the spring of the Act viz. An Interest or Christ appropriated I come to 3d. Consid What this leaning act in the notion of it doth import More remotely The third thing propounded in
and pricks them even to the heart as he did those Converts Act. 2.37 Strange woing you will say yet is this alwaies the manner of Christs woing more or lesse CHAP. XV. Few like Christs Estate and why Considerations opposed to the foresaid hinderances viz. How soules may come to the needing and feeling of Christ 5ly Few like his estate or the terms relating unto it such as these 1. He must have your portion out of your own hand at his dispose FIfthly Neither doth any carnal heart like the Estate business better then the former for such as these and onely such as these are Christs Termes as to matter of Estate First Saith Christ If you will marry me I must have all your portion ready down Go and sell all thou hast and come and follow me Mat. 19.21 You shall not have a penny saith Christ but I will have the command of it Leave your Onyons your Aegypt your Fleshpots if you expect I should joynture you in a Canaan And know that whosoever loves Houses and Lands in comparison of me is not worthy of me 2ly Saith Christ If you marry me 2ly You must take your joynture upon trust You must take my word for your security as to your joynture fom me You must live by faith not by sence The name of the Land I shall joynture you in is Promise-land I may perhaps if you please me give you some distant view of Canaan from the top of some Pisgah some Mount of transfiguration but as for the frame of your life it must bee by faith Hab. 2.3 For the vision or sight of it is yet for an appointed season but in the end it shall speak if you will but tarry for it Not I saith the Worlding let who will tarry for it or trust to it here are terms indeed part with all and all upon trust for my part I think it not safe venturing a portion upon this Christ if promise c. be the best assurance he can give Well then if thou be so minded stand thou also by But 3ly I have yet more saith Christ to indent 3ly You must goe into another Country for possession if you will marry me You must go beyond Sea into another Counry another World and then it is that I will make you Queen for Jo. 18.36 My Kingdom is not of this world My Lands lie on the other side of the stood My Canaan on the other side of Jordan And sirs this is most certain that if you will be the Lambs wife you must follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Yea but saith a carnall heart I know not how to stay for an Estate till I come at Heaven therefore adiew to Christ I hope to marry one that will joynture me nearer home Yea but Lastly Here is more yet saith Christ 4ly You must die by the way If you will marry me You must follow me into my Native Country out of your own Land as Abraham of old and you must suffer shipwrack by the way and be cast away as to your flesh and blood for they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God which is my Fathers Country 1 Cor. 15.50 Of a truth you must dye before you can be possessed of my joynture and live as my Queen I will give you the title to it now but your own life shall keep you out of possession My Country is Canaan and the Red-sea of death you must past thorow before you can enter into my rest and these things I tell you that you may know upon what termes I take you and that you may not be offended in me Joh. 16.1 Now then as for those that when they see Christ neither like his Port his Person nor Discourse nor Carriage nor Estate what hopes are there left of wooing winning these soules unto Jesus Christ and herein have I desired to deale faithfully this day that I might if it be possible bring one sober and beat off wanton lovers and so leaners from Jesus Christ I have heard of some women that have been in good earnest engaged in affection to some whom some of their Acquaintance and Relations have solicitously disswaded them from that have silenced all with such an answer I will marry him though I never have good day with him And truly Christians it is somewhat sad if your love to the Lord Jesus doe not exceed the love of women Jobs language is somewhat like this Iob 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him though he kill me yet will I not be beaten from him Though he speak hardly to me yet will I speak humbly to him though he smite me I will love him and though he slay me yet will I lean upon him Which that you may the better be encouraged to give me leave to subjoyne as I promised unto these Negative Hinderances Considrations opposed unto those Hinderances 1. As to the first hinderance viz. Few need Christ 1. Help Labour to see your need of Christ some Considerations for Helps And 1. As to the first Hinderance viz. That few need Christ though Christ be that one thing when there is but one thing needfull as himselfe saith Luk. 10.42 yet doth the world see their need of every thing but of this one thing Every one needs Food and Rayment House-roome and Fiering Money and Friends c. but who needs Jesus Christ Now if this be the reason that few leane upon him because but few need him then those Considerations that may helpe us to become needing souls may helpe us to become leaning souls Question How then shall a lost soul come to need Christ for a leaning-stock Answ I answer Let poor soules come into a sick shaken sinking condition I le undertake for a soule in such a state that it shall verily stand in need to lean upon Jesus Christ First Labour thou that art a lost soul 1. by becomming a sick soule to become a sick soul that is the way to become a leaning soul Mat. 9.12 The whole need not the Physitian but the sick so the whole need not a Keeper but the sick There are many things the same man wants when he is sick that he needs not when he is well A man leanes upon his own skill as for his dyet and all other accommodations when he is well but he leanes upon his Physitian and his skill for direction for dyet c. when he is sick and the reason he leanes on him now and not before is because he needs him now and not before Sicknesse makes him need him and therefore lean upon him so there are many things that the same soule never needed that is saw no need of before that when it comes to be spiritually sick it comes to need in good earnest before it could trust to its owne wisdome and leane to its own understanding and order its affaires according to its own will but now it needs a Christ as Physitian as
And all his Attendants should be flaming fire If he give but a word among the Angels great verily shall be the number and company of those that publish it Psal 68.11 So that you see it is choice and not constraint the free pleasure of the Lord to make use of such as wee are as Embassadors for Christ 2ly 'T is of abundant condescension Secondly It is out of an abundance of Condescentsion to all our infirmities and frailties to mean mens weak Capacities and to all our strong unbelief 1. To the infirmity of all our Natures First 'T is riches of Condescension to the weaknesse of all our Natures that Christ comes a wooing in so meane a Port and by such despised Messengers Friends God could have sent an Angell from Heaven this day in my poore roome to have wooed you for Christ and I dare say Glad would the chiefe among the Angels have been of such an employment and now behold a poor handfull of despicable dust in your Pulpit a vile sinner a man of unclean lips and dwelling among a people of unclean lips and he must espouse you to one Husband hee must wooe you for Jesus Christ Yea but if an Angell had come to preach where would you have sat to heare Alas alas if God had come to preach Gospel to you from Mount Sion to day as he once did preach Law to Israel from Mount Sinai when there were thunders and lightnings and Clouds upon the Mount and the exceeding loud voice as Exod. 19.16 Oh! we should have the stoutest heart of you comming before next Sermon as they in the next Chapter Ezod 20.18 19. And all the people when they saw the lightning and thunders and Mountaine smoaking c. they saw it and removed and stood afar off and said to Moses speak thou to us and we will heare but let not God speak lest we dye 2ly 'T is rich Condescension to the plainest amongst us 2. Particularly to the mean plain ones amongst us May some say If Christ would not wooe by Angels or Thunders yet might he employ great Doctors and Schollars of the world to preach to us in elegant stile and accurate expressions and then we think we should be won Ah! but still it is not enticing words of mans wisdome but foolishness that is plainness which they count foolishnesse of preaching that Christ ordinarily both commissions and crowns with successe in this wooing worke and doubtlesse in riches of condescension to the poore I have often thought that the most learned may understand the plainest Preacher but the plain Hearer cannot understand the high-flown Preacher Men may and some doe preach English and yet to the ignorant and poore which yet Christ hath ordained to receive the Gospel as it were in an unknown language and how shall they receive what they are not able to conceive Oh! that some Doctors in our Israel would often aske their Consciences that Question 1 Cor. 14.16 What shall the person that occupieth the place of the unlearned or plain man do I am not worthy to advise this yet this will I pray for because I have had some comfort in plaine preaching from those that sit at the footstoole or stand in the Alley and this I know that God would not have the least of these little Ones to perish Therefore comes Christ a wooing not only by plain men but also by plain language 3ly 3ly To the weaknesse of our faith 'T is riches of Condescension to the weaknesse of our faith If a Great man should come to some poor widdow of you in Gold or Crimson or Scarlet c. Could you believe he intended to marry you in good earnest we finde it worke hard enough to perswade convicted sinners that Christ thus mean as his Port is will indeed marry such as they are and I cannot think but that if his Pomp his wooing pomp were greater by so much would their unbeliefe be greater What such a Prince marry me sure he never said so or if he hath so said I cannot imagine that ever he will so do But now if a mighty Prince should come a wooing disguised as I may say with reverence to Christ in as meane habit and Port as thine own thou wilt not be so afraid or ashamed to keep his Company or so unwilling to believe his reality This Moses foresaw and forespake of concerning Christ Deut. 18.15 The Lord will raise thee up a Prophet of thy Brethren out of the midst of thee like unto me unto him shall you hearken Oh! it gives great advantage to our otherwise unperswasible hearts that Christ comes a wooing to us as one of our Brethren and as like us in all things sinne excepted Upon this account we can entertaine some little beliefe that when Christ wooes us hee doth not mock us Heb. 12. We are not come to mount Sinai but mount Sion c. vers 18. And in the close of the Catalogue of your company there to Jesus the Mediator and the bloud of sprinkling that speaks better things then the bloud of Abel 't is crucified Christ unto whom wooe you let this speake encouragement to you that Christ will have you And methinks you might believe that that Christ that hath chosen such a wretch as I know my self to be for his spokesman to thee will not disdain to chuse thee though a wretch in owne eyes for a spouse to himselfe 3ly 'T is with a rich compensetion 3ly Though he come a wooing in poore Port as to the eye of sence yet with a rich compensation as to the eye of faith Therefore rejoyce O daughter of Sion for though thy King is meek and lovely riding upon an Asse yet he comes having salvation Zach. 9.9 You call such preaching foolishness but it pleaseth God thereby to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 Christ comes in meane Port but with a rich Present behold whatever his Port be his reward is with him and 't is no lesse then Salvation When Satan comes a wooing 't is in the Hackney-Coach of this world laden with lies and gilded with deceit Now then if you will despise this day the poore spokesman of the Lord Christ yet neglect not Christ though his pomp be small lest you neglect so great a salvation 2ly As to this wooing person 2ly As to Christs wooing person Against that also carnall hearts are prejudiced To remove which Consider these four things 1. As despicable as Christs person is to the carnal 1. If it be to be despised yet not by us whose persons are to be lothed and unregenerate eye yet what can be objected by the carnall and unregenerat heart Though there be any thing of uncomlinesse to be objected unto him yet unworthily by thee Is he naked and in his blood Canst thou say that there is no form in him or comlinesse desirable Read Ezek. 16. And tell me when thou hast laid it to heart if he be
smites thee that hath been so often smitten by thee Art thou pierced by Christ he was pierced by thee first therefore hast thou little reason to complaine that he hath pierced thee Zach. 12.10 They shall look on me whom they have pierced Doth his Word or Spirit wound thee how often have thy vain and vile words and impenitent and unbelieving spirit wounded him Doth his wooong Carriage now prick thee to thine heart how often have thy wandering Carriages struck Jesus Christ to the heart It s fit that thou shouldest feele what it is to be smitten since thou hast so often tryed what it is to smite And well maist thou take it quietly to be under wounds of spirit many hours yea many weeks that hast in thy sinful Conversation been wounding Christ it may bee twenty forty or threescore years 3ly It s he smites thee 3ly He that is smitten with thee that in the mean while is smitten with thee and therefore surely will not smite to hurt thee There 's no great feare that that Father will wrong his Childe that as we say smites himself while hee strikes his Child Surely in all thine Afflictions most of all spirituall which are greatest is Christ afflicted Isai 63.9 If either Satan Sinne or the Law persecuteth thee Christ will say Why persecute you me I have born suffered done and dyed for that soule therefore I will not see that soule perish but though I smite it with mine own rod yet will I not suffer you to ruine it Surely as Paul saith 2 Cor. 11.29 Who is weak and I am not weak who is in the scorching furnace of an afflicted Conscience and I burn not so will Christ say 2ly Consider Why is it that Christ smites thee 2. Consider Why he smites looke backward or forward and there is little reason to murmur on either hand 1. Look backward upon what thou wert 1. Look backward upon what thou hast been and doe not complain and art thou smitten wonder that thou art not struck down to Hell never thinke strange that thou art sore bruised as in the place of Dragons but rather that thou art not damned and so turned down into the place of Devils Lam. 3.30 He gives his Cheeke to him that smiteth him saith Jeremy of the afflicted Spirit and wherefore saith he verse 39. Doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sin Art thou a sinning soul and yet a living soul oh though thou be a bruised soul thou hast small reason to complaine 2ly Look forward upon what thou art to be 2ly Look forward upon what thou art to be and complain no more and doe not count it hard that Christ hath smitten thee Friend Christ intends thee though thy heart have beene crooked and knotty hitherto for a piece of Timber in his living house for a living stone though thy heart hath been a dead and rough stone 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye are built up as lively stones a spiritual house I hope this will satisfyingly answer what is said Hos 6.5 I have hewed them by the Prophets If you will be part in Christs building you must be content with Christs hewing Againe We are called to be Vessels of mercy and these must be prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 And whoever prepared Vessels of gold but by the Furnace let this answer Isai 1.25 I wiil turn mine hand upon thee Oh! that think you is a scaring word but why will God do it I will purely purge away your drosse and take away all your Tinne Againe You are called to be the Lords Iewels and these Jewels must be made up Mal. 3.17 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will finish his Iewels And what Jeweller is there though never so sparing but will have some instrument in his hand to cut away the part or parts that are redundant and so to fit the Jewel before he finish and make it up in the ring of Gold This answers that gracious promise though to a carnall heart a bloody threatning Deut. 30.6 The Lord will circumcise thine heart to love him with all thy soul c. That is the Lord will pare it round he will take away the fleshly and carnall and redundant parts of it this will cost sharpe work to thy fleshly heart Thus will Christ deale with thee to make thee to love him when he wooes thee to love him onely be not thou as Zipporah crying out to Christ as she to Moses Exod. 4.16 A bloody Husband art thou unto me because of the Circumcision So that all the expressions that import thy future glory doe abundantly engage thee to receive with meekness 3ly Consider What these smitings shall conclude in Thine Enemies ruine and thanksgiving thy present sufferings and buffetings 3ly Consider what these smitings shall conclude in and be satisfied viz. In the ruine of thine Enemies and in the healing of thee First When God casts soules as those three Shadrach Meshach and Abednego into the furnace and the Son of God comes to take acquaintance with them and to beare them company in that Furnace as Dan. 3.25 What shall that fire doe more then burn their Enemies as verse 22. Verily upon them shall it have no power nor shall the hair of their head be singed verse 27. Thy Corruptions thy sins thy drosse thy dirt shall consume and be burnt up but it shall not be able to hurt thy soule But 2ly As for thy soule if that be bruised 2ly Thy souls healing it shall bee annointed by that balm that is in Gilead and the Physitian that is there Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque feret Christ doth use to wound us as Enemies doe and then to let us lie and perish for want of looking too neare feare so great unkindnesse from so kind a suiter no no but if sense say as Hos 6.1 The Lord hath torn and he hath smitten let thy faith say also as theirs there and he will heale and he will bind us up after two dayes that is some short season he will revive us and the third day at farthest he will cause us to live verse 2. Hearken my friends what Hezekiah can say after all his chatterings like a Crane and shatterings to pieces both which you have together Isai 38.13 14 verse 16. O Lord by these things men live and in all these things Marke all these things as if he could not be without Note or misse one blow of them and doe well is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live so wilt thou as if God had as it were limited himselfe to that way of working unto the reviving of a dead heart So then either Christ must marry thee whilest a Carkasse and lay thee a dead piece of flesh in his bosome or thou must be contented to be smitten but and if thou be smitten he will verily revive thee and cause
seeke the Lord. What can be plainer let your Riches in peace or Forces in warre be never so augmented the more you leane unto any of them the lesse will you lean to Jesus Christ I shall give you a two-fold word of Conviction for this viz. That worldlings leane upon the World and therefore not on Christ Evidence 1. Because they rise and fall as the world riseth and falls with them First Because it appeares that worldlings rise and fall as the world riseth and falls therefore it is evident that the world is that they leane upon Psal 20.7 They lean on Chariots they are down and fallen but we remember thy name and rise up They that have nothing but Chariots c. but men and monies to trust unto as their men fall and monies faile c. so they fall and their Spirits faile also but they that leane upon the Lord are not so the remembrance of his name bearer them up when their enemies seeme to beare them down If the world rise with sinners then their hearts rise too Eze. 28.5 6. Thou hast by thy wisdome and traffique encreased thy riches and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches and thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God Oh! they take themselves now to be pettie-Gods as happy as happy may be and as high as high may be and all because that riseth which is under them Who sees not in this case but that they leane upon it Again though they said they were Gods they shall die like men and though their heart was set as the heart of God when the world went with them yet when the world goes against them as you call it truly then their heart groweth like Nabals dead within them 1 Sam. 25.37 c. If Worldlings did not leane upon the world they would never thus rise and sinke with the world as you daily see they doe 2ly 'T is hence evident 2d Evidence They can make better shift with the world without Christ as they account then with Christ without the world that most leane upon the world and not Christ because the most can make as they count a better shift with the world and without Christ then with Christ and without the world Many Worldlings are convinced that they have much need of Christ but they thinks also that they have more need of Mammon Now this is evident that which we can lest spare is our greatest leaning-stock the last things a Creeple forgoes shall be his Crutches the can ill spare many other things but he can worst of all spare them 'T is cleare in the Rich man Mat. 19.22 He went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions He was perswaded that Christ was to be leaned upon and that he had need of support and succour from Jesus Christ else why went he sorrowful away Oh! but for all that he could make better shift without Christ of the two then without the world for he had great possessions And now let the issue speake which of these two Christ or Mammon was that which he finally leaned unto The fourth and last positive Hinderance from leaning upon Christ is leaning upon selfe 4th Pos Hind Leaning upon selfe I am now to speake unto such as I find my master Jesus Christ speaking to before He spak saith the text unto certain that trusted in themselves Luk. 18.9 I shall reduce to four heads what I shall say hereon Leaning either to our own Wisdoms or Wills or Righteousnesses or Lives will hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Jesus 1. Self-wisdom 1. It must needs be that leaning to our own Understandings and to the carnal Counsells of our own unregenerate hearts must hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Christ This I shall evince both from clear Scripture-Testimony Scripture-testimony as also from clear Scripture-Reason Expresse is that passage Prov. 3.5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own Understanding If you trust in the Lord Christ with all your hearts you must not lean to your own Understandings if you lean to your own Understandings you cannot trust in the Lord with all your hearts So far as you lean to your own Counsell you will not lean unto the Lords and if you will incline to the dictates of Gods spirit you must disown the dictates of your own spirits Therefore saith Wisdom Pro. 22.17.19 Bow down thine Ear and hear the words of the wise not the voice of thine own heart and apply thine heart unto my knowledge not thine own knowledge that thy trust may be in the Lord I have made known this day to thee even to thee Our own understandings when most corrupted can make known unto us to lean to carnall Confidences and sensible supports but it is onely the wisdom of the Lord that can make known unto us to trust in the Lord. Scripture-reasons Secondly As for Scripture-reasons I shall assigne these two Our Understandings unsanctified are foolishnesse with God and Enmity against God Therefore leaning unto them must needs hinder us from leaning unto Christ 1. It is foolishnes with God 1. The Unregenerate mind is foolishnesse as to the apprehending of this Mystery of leaning upon the Lord Jesus Amongst the Highest improvers of the Vnrenewed Intellectuals we read of many enquiring after their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or felicity and upon inquiry one saith in one thing another in another the best of them say that virtue is the way to that felicity which yet they define not according to the Scripture-notion of it or as identical with divine graces but an Habit inherent in our selves the feeds whereof are from our selves also and the springing and fructifying and Maturity of the fruits from our own studious improvement of what is in us And who amongst the wisest of them ever pointed at a Jesus as did that Heaven-taught John Baptist Io. 1.9 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World Nay how was it possible they should so do When Scripture saith expressly that the Lord hath hid the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven from the wise and prudent of the World as Mat. 11.25 and as expressly that this is one of the great Mysteries of Godlinesse that Christ should be believed on in the world 1 Tim. 3.16 that is that any soule should lean for salvation to the righteousnesse of another 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man receives not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him 1 Cor. 3.19 Even as the wisdom of this world is foolishnesse with God As the Lord knowes thy leaning to the Counsells of thine own heart to be very foolishnesse So dost thou naturally think leaning to the Lords Counsell concerning Christ to be very foolishness What 's that to mee saith thy reason how good another is what can I be the better Or how is it possible that the dying of one man
or seriously and frequently remember death will get a Christ to lean upon in that hour But while you read in one scripture of some that put the evill day far from them as Amos 6.3 't is no wonder that you read in others that some there are that say unto God Depart from us as Job 21.14 or that Christ should come to his own according to the flesh and they not receive him as Joh. 1.11 You have a notable passage Isa 57.10 Thou hast found thy life of thine hand therefore thou hast not grieved Men find their lives in their own hands therefore they have not repented therefore Though all our Times are alwaies in Gods hand yet vaine men ordinarily think they are in their own hands as in time of health and prosperity c. but now in sicknesse they foolishly think yet is there something in it that their lives are in the Physitians hand if he through inconsiderateness or hast mistake a glass or a Gally-pot they may die for it Oh! now they are grieved how glad would they now be that they had but a firm hold upon the Lord Jesus So I have seen at Sea when the vainest of our company have been convicted by a storm that ours lives were in Gods hand and not in our own When our tacklings have been loosed and we could not well strengthen the Mast oh how fain would we all of us then have had an Interest in this Beloved and hope in this Christ as the Anchor of our souls when we could not cast anchor with our ships to have a Master to lean upon When our Mast reeled and wee staggered like drunken men and were ready to sinke in the deep Waters Oh! What crying out with Peter Master save us we perish Lord Jesus We sink we sink we are at our wits ends Lord save us But as soon as we were safe on shoar again though our lives were new given us even for a prey yet then fell wee to our former course of sin self-confidence and vain conversation having small care of faith or holiness Christ is now little beloved little believed little thought upon little lean'd upon Thus whilest we lean upon any thing of SELF there is little leaning to this beloved All this have I spoken to you for the self same end that those sad providences spake to Paul and his companions 2 Cor. 1.9 That you might not trust in your selves but in God Trusting to self and trusting to God leaning upon self and leaning upon the Beloved are as very Opposits as light and darkness as Hell and Heaven and the Apostles argument is very clear that the Lord one way or other must quite remove us from the former before we come to the later Therefore lean not to Self By this time I hope I have spared my self a labour as to any set opposition of such Considerations as might disswade you from leaning on your selves having not been able to convince you that men do so without conviction also of the Vanity and Foolishness of all that doe so Well might the wise man say as Pro. 28.26 He that trusteth in his own heart that is he that leans to self-wit self-will c. is a fool So say I hee that trusteth in his own Righteousness or length of daies or anything of his own is a fool Understandings Souls consider how foolish and unwise a thing it is to lean to your own naturall carnall unrenewed Understandings which are both foolishness with and Emnity against the Lord What needs more weight of argument to disswade you Wills Consider how desperate a thing it is to lean to your own unsanctified and unregenerate Wills which you have seen by scripture-light to be both Rebellion against the Lord and Idolatry in the account of the Lord and require when you have seriously weighed these more forcing disswasives if you can Righteousnes Consider how dangerous a thing it is to lean to your own Righteousnesse which is ever found a stranger to a Run-away from and a Rebell against the onely saving Righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus Lives Consider how vain a thing it is to lean to your lives and so not unto the Lord which are at all times as you are forced to confesse at some times not in your hands but in the hands of the Lord. In this the Bell in your steeple spares me a labour in turning over the Bible in mine hand God proves this to your Eares to your Eyes to your hearts in your Husbands Wives Children dearest Relations sometimes every other day to one of you or other and God might have proved it upon you unto them as he hath done upon them unto you and who of us knowes whom of us the Lord will make the next proofe hereof unto the rest of us or how soone our life is our lease our body our house If you leane to this house it shall not stand Job 8.15 Therefore if any of us have beene staved off from leaning upon this Beloved by leaning upon our selves or any thing of our own oh do no more so wickedly CHAP. XXIII Contains disswasives from leaning upon sinne or Satan I shall onely speake three other words to beat off your elbowes from those three other leaning-stocks viz Sinne Satan and the World and then I shall by the help of my Lord as the close of the discourse shew you the excellent advantage of leaning upon Christ First Leane not to sin This is the veriest vanity Lean not to sinne For 1. This is the veriest vanity and it will be the veriest vexation of Spirit First This is the vreiest vanitie If you doe but believe scripture you may easily be induced to believe this What better termes doth scripture bestow upon sinne then such as these a vain shew or shadow a deceipt a lie or make the most of it and it is but a Cobweb Now if you will but take the Spirit of God to beare a true testimony under these terms unto your sinnes then how vaine a thing is it to leane unto them even your selves being Judges Because 1. Sin a lye First He that leans to a known sinne if the Bible be true leanes undoubtedly to a known lye If the Crutch in his right hand be a sinne let Isaiah speake whether the Crutch in his right hand be not a lie Isai 44.20 They that follow after sin follow after leasing and they that hold fast sin hold fast deceit Jer. 8.5 And therefore 't is not strange that they that doe so should be therefore branded to love vanitie Psal 4.2 What foole so foolish as to trust a known lyar especially in a known lye And yet alas what sinner is there more wise Wilt thou lean upon that which is not but onely seems to be Sinne is not good sinne can bring no good Sinne is not really pleasurable it is not truly profitable when it seemes to bee such it is not such but doth lie In
the World Not the great men of the world no not to the Ablest the Strongest the Greatest that is in the World Isa 31.1 Wo be to them That stay on horses and trust in Chariots because they are many and in Horsmen because they are very strong Psal 146.3 Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of man in whom there is no help It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in man Psa 118.8 That you 'l quickly grant Yea but it follwes ver 9. It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in Princes Secondly Lean not to the things of the Word Nor great things of the world No not to the greatest to the fullest to the certainest enjoyment of these things Trust not in Riches boast not of them lean not to them no not to the multitude of your Riches Psa 49.6 If riches encrease set not your hearts upon them Isa 62.10 That is lean not unto them for though wee ought not to set our loves upon them and that may be there forbidden yet I believe the speciall meaning is that we should not repose the trust of our hearts in them which I gather both from what goes before both in the eighth and ninth Verses Trust in him at all times why so why Men of high degree are a lie therefore if riches encrease set not your hearts upon them as also from what followes after ver 11. This God hath spoken twice have I heard it That power belongs onely to God Therefore set not your hearts on riches the Encrease whereof hath no power to support you And yet wherewithall shall I disswade you worldlings from leaning to the World Consider there is but little in all the World for your support should you lean upon it And that little strength that these Reeds have wil upon your leaning bee sure to break in pieces and then what were thy Crutches before shall then become thy firebrands Disswasives 1. There is but little in the things or men of the world to support for First There is but little in Worldly things to bee leaned unto which may easily appeare under these Considerations They are unsuitable uncertaine unsatisfactory unserviceable supports to thy poore soul 1. They are unsuitable supports First Unsuitable The actings of the soul which I here call leaning are the Outgoings of a spirituall substance therefore how improper an Object are Carnall things How unapt a leaning stock is a fleshly Arm for a spiritual hand God saith that he spake like a fool that said Soul take thine ease or rest O soul for I have laid up much goods Luk. 12.19 20. If he had said here 's a table to refresh my body here 's a bed to refresh my bones it had not been such height of folly But soul take thine ease this was the foolishnesse and perhaps is thine David was wiser then so Psa 141.8 O God the Lord in thee do I trust leave not my soul destitute Whatever of these things thou trustest to yea whomsoever of these Persons yet may thy soul be destitute for all them the Lord is onely my support let thy soul sing for Isa 49.6 7 8. They that trust in their Wealth and boast in the multitude of their Riches none of them can by any means redeem his Brother nor give to God a Ransome for him for the Redemption of the soul is pretious and ceaseth for ever Meat may support the outward man Money the outward Estate Physick may repair the strength of the Body but the soul is out of the reach of these things Secondly Uncertain Such are the things of the world 2. Uncertain therefore not to be lean'd unto 1 Tim. 6.17 Trust not in uncertain riches Such are the men of the World Psa 73.18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places Certainly they are in uncertain places slippery places their heads are a lost to day their heeles as high as their heads to morrow They are great men and thy great friends and thou leanest confidently on them great things and perhaps they intend thee so but between the writing of the Will and the subscription between the draught of the Commission and setting of the Seal hee is snatch away and thou remainest as thou wast Psa 136.3 4. Put not your trust in Princes nor in the Son of man in whom is no help How comes that Why his breath goeth forth he returneth to his Earth in that very day his thoughts perish But as for the beloved lean on him for as he was so he abides and so shall he abide for ever So Psa 18.2 The Lord is my Rock in whom I will trust the Lord is my high Tower A strong guard you will say both in Front and Rear a Rock before an high Tower behind and his confidence comes marching in the middle Among all things made by the Art of man nothing is more durable certain stable then a Tower of Defence Among all things visible made by the hand of God himselfe nothing more abiding stedfast and unmoveable then a Rock God is as both therefore wil David lean upon him here 's an unmoveable support a sit leaning-stock for an immortall soul Thirdly Unsatisfactory 3. Unsatisfactory They that labour for Carnall or for wicked things lay out their labour for that which satisfieth not Isa 55.2 and therefore they that lean upon them shall never have any satisfying support from them Which of you are more satisfied with your thousands then you were when you were worth but hundreds who of you saith I have enough to sit down upon and to rest fully contented with A Saint may say to another as Jacob Gen. 33.11 I have enough my Brother yea I have all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for I have the beloved who filleth all in al. Eph. 1.23 but who besides the Saint can say so Those of you that have much goods wax unwearied in getting more and they that have great Estates in getting greater and they that have good friends as to worldly account in procuring better yea they tire themselves on their beds of rest whereon they lean and this their way is their folly and yet their posterity approves their sayings 4. Unserviceable Fourthly And lastly Unserviceable When is it that we say such a thing would do us a great deale of service but when we have most need of it And if so Then are the men and the things of the World unserviceable supports to the poor soul As for worldly men Isa 49.7 None of them can by any means redeem his Brother c. And as for worldly things when we have most need have they least help for Riches profit not in the day of wrath but Righteousnesse delivers from death Pro. 11.4 In daies of health peace and prosperity when thou art able to help thy self friends thou hast many that are willing to help thee then Riches will proffer
sue for life like Haman but it shall be denyed thee and then thou shalt seek for Death but Death shall flye from thee Thou shalt neither live nor die but live to die and that to eternity This is thine End but behold it is endlesse Therefore thou shall cry yea sadly shalt thou cry an end is come but O that there were an end I dye I perish But O that I could perish If thou wilt not save me Lord kill me but he will do neither O let the Mountaines fall on me and let the hills cover me from thy presence and from the face of the Lamb and this is the only Petition that shall be granted thee but in a sad sense for Mountains of wrath shall fall upon thee and everlasting hills of Gods displeasure shall hide thee I will warrant thee from the face of his pitty and from the presence of his glory Then shalt call to Abraham for a drop but receive a River not of water to cool but of brimstone to bridle thy tormented tongue then shalt thou be thirsty and hardly bestead and shalt curse thy King and thy God and look upward Ah! sad home and homely entertainment Oh! sad welcome O! take it for a warning thou wretch thy Father the Devill is making a scourg for thee of his own chain and thou 'st find it so when hee gets thee in though he flatter thee home thy fellow servants that are in the same Condemnation with thee are prepared to smite thee yea when thou comest home then shall thine owne Conscience speak home because thou hast been a self-Murtherer therefore shalt thou ever be a self-tormentor Ah Satan shalt thou say Is this thy Fatherhood to thy Children is this the best hire thou givest thy servants is this thy kindness to thy friend Ah sirs are you the men that I called good fellowes was I thus mistaken in you am I thus rewarded by you Ah! how I spent my Estate my Time my Soule upon you how I lost the company of Saints to gaine yours the favour of God to gain yours how I displeased my Conscience to please your corruptions And do you thus requite my poor soul Oh cruel people and unkind Then shalt thou cry to thy Conscience ah why didst not thou speak and warn me that I might not have come into this place of torment but thy conscience shall reply Ah wretch Why didst not thou hear how often did I call but thou gavest me no answer but slightedst all my Counsell and wouldst none of my reproof Thou shalt accuse thy Conscience and thy Conscience shall accuse thee Thou shalt accuse thy Companions and they thee thou shalt accuse the serpent and the serpent shall accuse thee Then shalt thou look on the one hand and refuge faileth thee and on the other and there is none careth for thy soul Thou shalt look to thy Merchants with whom thou hast laboured from thy youth but they wander to their Quarters None of them save thee Thou shalt look to thy leaning-stocks but thine hope shal be cut off thy trust shal be as a spiders web then shall thy sinking soul cry out to thy shrinking supports will you also go away what my riches and what my righteousnesses and what the desire of mine eyes and the delight of mine heart I have treasured you up against the latter daies and will you now leave my soul in Hell and suffer one that loved you so dearly to see corruption Yet this shalt thou have from them because thou trustedst in them and it shall be answered concerning thee Lo this is the man that made not God his strength this is the soul that leaned not upon the Beloved Wherefore let me earnestly exhort you seriously to ask your soules this one Question which is the home that I am hasting to Hell or Heaven for there is not a third beside the grave and the grave is but thy long home but these are the everlasting homes if thou reply but how shall I know 't is soon answered if Christ be thy Way Heaven is thy Home and if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature but and if the Wildernesse be thy Way the place of Howling is thy Home therefore go to now lament and Howl for the miseries that shall come upon thee before the Evill daies come wherein thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them Other Uses might be made of this point viz. If there be no salvation for lost sinners but onely by leaning upon the Lord Jesus How may this inform us of inavailableness of all their supports of the folly of leaning on them How may this confute the Popish recumbency on the merits of our own Works our leaning to the Angells to the Virgin-Mother of our Lord or any other of the Saints and all reliance on the light of our own Wisdoms or might of our own wils as also any expectancy of salvation in any other Religion that teacheth not Christ to bee the onely or the all sufficient Saviour of lost sinners And what terror may this speak to such daring Wretches as make their sinns their Saviours and their lusts their leaning-stocks trusting as the Lord complains in their iniquities And on the other hand how great Encouragement to such as onely love and leane upon Jesus Christ to a fixednesse of heart whilst you trust in the Lord. And lastly how might we hence put you upon the tryall what is indeed your soules leaning-stock Is it Christ or another that we follow hard after that wee rejoyce most in that set our love most upon that wee leave others for that we cleave most unto for these I take to be true tryalls what is it is it that we have most recumbency on but each of these or something Equivalent hath already lyen before us in this discourse and therefore I shall say no more but Consider what hath been spoken and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS