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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	heart_n	youth_n	youthful_a	56	3	10.9629	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95609	A Scripture-map of the wildernesse of sin, and vvay to Canaan. Or The sinners way to the saints rest. Wherein the close bewildring sleights of sin, wiles of the Devill, and windings of the heart, as also the various bewildrings of lost sinners, yea, even of saints, before, in, and after conversion; the necessity of leaning upon Christ alone for salvation, with directions therein: as also, the evident and eminent danger of false guides, false wayes, false leaning-stocks, are plainly, and practically discovered. Being the summe of LXIV lecture sermons preached at Sudbury in Suffolk, on Cantic. 8.5. / By Faithful Teate, M.A. minister of the Gospel.	Teate, Faithful, b. 1621.	1655 (1655)	Wing T615; Thomason E839_1; ESTC R203761	372,945	489

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 de● 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

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

fed out their time in the wilderness of sin at length they have not so much as an hand or a foor or a heart to strive they have not so much as a tongue to beg or a mouth to receive any of those provisions that the Lord hath made for poor souls in Jesus Christ Thus is the wilderness provisionless as for food As for raiment what you have the wilderness the thorns the brambles can rend away and tear from you but all the wilderness cannot help you with one garment So it is with sin if you have any cloathes on any good parts or good nature as they call it the thorns and brambles and temptations of sin can tear them off Oh! how many gallant parts and good natures hath sin rent to pieces but if you be naked you must walk naked for all sin sin can strip you but it cannot clothe you you are all naked whilest you are bewildred Ezek. 16.8 and there is none to help you Therefore till you come out of the wilderness leaning upon Christ and have gotten him up on whom you lean to cast his skirt over you you walk naked and God sees your shame there is no raiment to be had for the soul but onely where Christ keeps his Markets Rev. 3.18 and so for other accommodations all which being thus makes me sadly say Sin is a wilderness that is provisionless O how evil is sin to men and which is saddest of all yet yet are men kinde to sin Sin cannot feed you and yet speak your consciences do not most of you feed sin and cherish and nourish sin sin cannot clothe you O what shall become of those men for their courtesie that cover sin In a word sin cannot make provision for you therefore I beseech you close with the Apostles counsel Rom. 13.14 Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof CHAP. IV. Containeth the two last considerations shewing the dismalness of wilderness-sin because both are wayless waste and husbandless As also the application of the first consideration Exhortation Labor to finde Christ to thy soul a Gardiner to make thee fruitful FIfthly The wilderness as it thus provisionless The wilderness is wayless upon which account there is no encouragement to abide in it so also is it wayless there is no way to get out of it This vain Poets could conclude as the most dismal travelling in the world viz. when they were to go per avia that is wayless places and this indeed the holy Ghost imports as alike dismal to the people and princes of the earth whom God thus punisheth Job 12.24 He causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way And thus it is with sin you are not to think that there are no ways in the wilderness there is as you read the track to the Lions den and Leopards mountain there are ways further into the wilderness but there is no good way no right way no way out again no peaceable and secure way c. Thus there are many too many ways of sin and into sin but there is not one good way amongst them all Sin acquaints sinners with ten thousand ways and yet amongst them all the way of peace have they not known Rom. 3.17 The ways of sin are ways to the Lions den c. Prov. 7.27 Her house is the way to hell and Prov. 5.5 Her feet go down to death her steps take hold on hell Least thou shouldst ponder the path of life her ways are moveable she hath ways great store but not so much as one good living way as one foot-path of life amongst them all therefore as we are to shew afterwards though sin hath as many ways as the wilderness yet may we in the same sense that the holy Ghost calls the wilderness without way conclude sin wayless If you will have it the ways of sin are wayless ways so that as one saith of the way to the Lions den vestigia terrent Omnia te adversum spectantia nulla retorsum So saith the holy Ghost of sin many beasts went to the Lions den but none return back again Prov. 2.19 None that go to her return again neither take they hold of the pathes of life The wilderness is waste and husbandless Lastly 'T is dismal because waste and husbandless and so is the whole region of sin you have the wilderness and waste places as importing one and the same thing Isa 51.3 The Lord will comfort all her waste places and make her wilderness like Eden yea you have waste the character of the wilderness Deut. 32.10 In a desert land and in the waste howling wilderness and surely it must needs be so if that be true which we have heard Scriptures already speak In the wilderness there is no man Job 38.26 no man to plant no man to pluck up no man to plough no man to sowe how should it be but waste In this as in the rest is sin a dismal wilderness there are no provisions there as you have heard for it is desolate there are none like to be for it is waste and desert The plain English of the word desert is what God expounds it Isa 27.10 The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness Therefore when any soul through sin is a wilderness you may write upon that soul desert the Lord hath forsaken it This is a sad consideration when the soul goes on a long time in sin and then God comes with a judicial act and doth as it were bind it in its sins The soul saith I am willing to be as a wilderness unto God unfruitful to him c. and God saith If thou wilt be a wilderness thou shalt also be a desert I will forsake thee Thus God threatens for sin to set Jerusalem and make her as a wilderness Hosea 2.2 Now this is most sadly true when the soul hath been under the pains and charges of the Lord as you say this piece of ground I have fallowed plough'd sown thus often tryed thus long and it hath brought me forth nothing answerable to mine expectations I have lost say you my time toil and cost about it and now you cast it up So the barren Fig tree Mat. 21.19 as God gave them up Psalm 81.12 Let what will become of it you will never look after it more Now is this ground left DESERT Thus the Lord telleth Isai 5. what husbandry he had bestowed upon Israel his Vineyard v. 7. which yet brought forth none but wilderness-fruit viz. wilde Grapes v. 4. I le tell you saith God v. 5. what I will do with it I will take away the Hedg and it shall be eaten up and break down the Wall and it shall be trodden down I will lay it waste it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up Briars and Thorns and I will command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it v. 6. And O what a dismal Wilderness must

the soul needs be when the Lord shall thus forsake it There is none to plant prune or protect it no word or spirit to water it it must needs follow that it shall be laid waste and eaten up and trodden down and nothing but Briars and Thorns shall grow there How sad instances hereof have we in some that have lived long under Gospel-means But are not thereby become as a Garden Are they not as a Wilderness Yea of all others the most sharp and thorny and no wonder since they are left of the Lord and desert Is it so then that the Wilderness of Sin is so dismal because fruitless moistureless companionless Vse provisionless wayless waste and husbandless I shall onely improve this sad Consideration unto a double word of Exhortation respect being had unto the several particulars First Are we by sin become barren as a Wilderness Exhortation Labour to finde Christ as a Gard'ner to thy barren soul to make it fruitfull it is onely by grace that we can be made like Eden Isai 51.3 CHRIST is the Gard'ner that can both furnish us with fruit and make us bear fruit for this end he chooseth the grounds he gard'neth John 15.16 Of our selves we neither have fruit for our selves nor bring forth fruit to the Lord but CHRIST gives fruit and makes fruitfull He is the Apple-tree Cant. 2.3 He is the true Vine John 15.1 And yet the Dresser of the Vineyard Luke 13.7 Our Wilderness comes to nothing till it becomes his Husbandry 1 Cor. 3.9 Our souls are not comforted with Apples till we taste of his fruit Cant. 2.3 5. When we were in Paradise we were as a Paradise it was fruitfull to us and we to God Now we are in the Wilderness we are as a Wilderness sin is fruitless to us and we to the Lord. The Tree of Life made Eden a Paradise the River made it a fruitfull Paradise We lost both when we lost our selves There is now no Tree of Life with us to bear us fruit nor Water of Life to make us bear fruit But yet both are with Christ Rev. 22.1 2. And who so do his Commandments have right thereunto v. 14. Christ can set us with slips of Paradise Alas who would as they Isai 17.10 be setting their hearts with strange slips thy people shall be all righteous the branch of my planting the work of mine hand Isai 60.21 Yea and that they may be called Trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified As the Garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth so the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before them Isai 61.3 11. Again Christ can replenish us with fruits of Paradise Alas why should we savour those fruits unto death Rom. 7 5. from me saith the Lord is thy fruit found Hos 14.8 Even the twelve manner of fruits of the Tree of Life enough for all the Tribes and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the Nations Rev. 22.1 2. * Compare Ezek. 47 8.12 with Rev 22.1 2. Here 's food and physick life and healing for Jew and for Gentile surely the Wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them Isai 35.1 When those waters Ezek. 47.8 Go down into the Desart But what is the wilderness the better that there are gardens in the world Or we that some strangers have such rare plants or choice fruits in remote countreys Christ hath born and doth bear fruits various and precious old and new such as wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption with fruits of joy and peace in believing Yea his mediation and the counsel of peace between him and his Father fruit as old as Eternity his intercession and tendring himself a sacrifice for sin as soon as we had faln as a Lamb slain from the begining of the world fruit as old as the world his incarnation birth circumcision temptations sorrows sufferings death burial resurrection and ascension fruits above sixteen hundred years old his word his spirit his daily intercession and gracious dispensations fruits as new as every day These these are the fruits that Christ hath brought forth and unto which they have right that obey his call his command Come with me from Lebanon my Spouse is his call Cant. 4 8. Eat O friends is his command Cant. 5.1 Now be not thou unmannerly modest or disobediently humble take what is given come when thou art called Thou wilt be little the better though Christ be a tree of life to others unless thou come to Christ and feed upon him Oh! therefore be encouraged poor barren soul to leave the desolate wilderness and to hasten thence ere thou perishest therein why should unbelief detain thee any longer from everlasting blessedness for Blessed are they that do his Commandments for these have right to the tree of life and then will Christs fruit be sweet unto thy taste as the Spouse asserteth Cant. 2.3 and then and never till then wilt thou be able to say My Lord and my God my Savior and my redeemer for they onely can truly call the Lord our Righteousness our Advocate our Peace-maker who can look upon all that Christ did as done for themselves in particular Oh! what pleasant fruit is here laid up for the poor soul that was barren and fruitless as a wilderness even until now CHAP. V. Carryeth on the general Exhortation Labor to finde thy soul a fruitful garden unto Christ c. BUt secondly 2. Labor to finde thy soul as a fruitful garden unto Christ labor also to finde thy soul to be a fruitful garden unto Christ for though the other do not depend upon this but this upon the other yet thou wilt hardly finde the other till in some measure thou hast found this O 't is a sweet thing for the soul of a wilderness to be made a fruitful garden unto Christ Marvelously is Christ delighted with it he speaking of the Spouse Cant. 7.7 thy breasts saith he are like clusters of the grapes and row also shall thy breasts be as the clusters of the vine and the smell of thy nose like apples Oh! when believers hearts and breasts are fruitful in holiness unto Christ how marvellously is he delighted yea then Christ delights 〈◊〉 them also ch 6. v 11.12 Let us get up early saith she to the vineyards to see if the vine flourish or the tender grape appear or the pomgranate bud forth there will I give thee my loves O there Christ also manifests much love his loves that 's all his love as 't were to the soul when and where the soul brings forth fruit unto Christ when Daniel was praying then comes out the message O Daniel greatly beloved when the soul acts faith or zeal or any of the fruits of the spirit are budding forth O then Christ takes great delight in it and therefore he observes and watches the souls fruit God could tell if

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

think of leaving thee there Old ones Vse 1. Encouragment to Old ones desirous to come out of the wilderness hath God touched any of your hearts this day have you any unfeigned desires to travel out of your old wilderness in your old age If you have speak and then ' I le speak Truly if you have but yet an ear to hear in good earnest know that though it be impossible with man to transplant such an old tree and to make it take root in a new soile or to take such a withered branch and to graft it into a living stock yet with the Lord nothing is impossible for the grace of the Gospel nothing at all is too hard That God that is able to make the hypocrite though a green tree to be dried up is able yea and according to his promise willing to cause thee though a dead and a dry tree to flourish read Ezek. 17.24 Yea but wilt thou say as well thou maist my strength as you said I finde is gone I would travel after Christ but my strength is spent in wandring in the wilderness I fear never was any converted whose case was so desperate yea but it was so with the lost sheep Luk. 15. It had spent its strength in the wilderness and could not go but Christ could carry it and so he can thee he took it and laid it upon his shoulder v. 5. If then thou canst not come out of the wilderness but by leaning upon his arm 't is no unmannerliness Beg of Christ with importunities to take thee and to lay thee upon his shoulder Object not thy lameness to come to Christ But for you aged ones 2 Terror ●o those that resolve to stay there that have lain under the droppings of this word of grace this day but yet despise the day of your visitation so neer night and will not hear his voice to day but harden your hearts as in the former dayes of your provocation in the wilderness know that it shall fare with you as with the dry trees there those drops of rain that cause other trees to sprout forth falling on them cause them to rot the sooner This word shall soake into thine heart Oh! thou dead tree and rot thee within more and more untill thou by thy rottenness be perfectly fitted for Gods furnace Job 22.15 16. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden who have been cut down out of time whose foundation was overflown with a flood Thou hast troden the same paths even paths of wickedness and of the wilderness Thou shalt be rooted up and the flood of Gods wrath shall overflow thy foundations Thou shalt be cut down out of time and committed to eternity and the everlasting flames of wrath shall take hold upon thee Think of this your aged ones that are in the twelfth hour of your day If you have not found the way out of the wilderness whilst your day shall last know that when the night comes you shall never find any way save to bed onely I mean to the grave to hell CHAP. VI. The dying hour a bewildring hour to lost souls and Hell a wilderness to departing sinners opened and applyed BUt sevethly 7. The dying hour a bewildring hour unto poor lost souls The dying heart is a bewildring hour unto poor souls And every one that dyes in the state of sin dyes in the wilderness The Lords threatning to the old Israel for their old unbelief was this Your carkeses shall fall in the wilderness Numb 14.27 And the same sin being renewed by the same people this threatning is renewed in a plainer dress John 8.21 You shall seek me but you shall dye in your sins whither I go you cannot come I go to Canaan saith Christ but thither you shall never come for you shall dye in the wilderness of your sins Ioshua walked uprightly but Israel did not Yea saith Christ You shall seek me but you shall dye in your sins That is you that have wandred in the wilderness thus long but would not be turned when you see the Lion fain would ye flee to the shepherd then when night comes fain you would get out of the wilderness but then you shall seek me as a guide but shall not finde me You shall seek me as a way but shall not light upon me for as you have lived so shall ye die You have lived in your sins you shall die in your sins and friends you have heard that to live in sin is to live in the wilderness You now hear that to dye in sin is to dye there Therefore Zelophehads daughters joyn both together Numb 27.3 Our father dyed in the wilderness he dyed in his own sin Three things make the sinners death a wilderness to his soul Three things make death a wilderness to him 1. Horror of what is past 1. The horror of what he hath been Do you think friends that when all the sins that ever he hath committed shall stand round in order about him the thoughts and horror of them is not enough to bewilder him Now he sins and takes not any notice perhaps or at least but a little He was drunk and forgets it He committed uncleanness such and such a time and hath forgotten but God that remembers will also make him remember God will methodize his sins and they shall come in their order and stand before him when God reproves him and that of all times most eminently at the hour of death Psal 50.21 And surely if single sins could wilder us much more can they all when they are set in order before us Oh! such a day in the forenoon I met with such a company and in in that company fell into such sins and that ●fternoon I met with such company and then I wandered in such si●ns and that night when I came home I acted with such and such fresh si●s and sirs I would have you believe that if you would studie you cannot half so orderly remember the sins of yesterday as God will make you able the to remember the sins of your whole lives And if your will not yet think this a Wilderness Listen Sirs listen whose voice is tha● in the next verse viz. verse 22. Consider this you that forget God lest I come and tear you in pieces whilest there is none to deliver If that be not the voice and roaring of a Lion then let not your methodized guilt and horror of your sins be called a Wilderness Here you have sins set in order and would you know what order it is Why this is the order his sins are set round about him yea so near him that they take hold upon him yea so many of them that they are more than the hairs of his head yea they reach so far that they are innumerable so that he is not onely unable to get out but even unable to look out of this Wilderness This is the souls condition till

hence Vse Vindication of Gods justice in punishing sin Let me first plead the righteousness of God in damning sinners When God comes to punish mens crooked ways their crooked hearts are blasphemously ready to reckon Gods ways crooked If therefore you now reflect how wretchedly crooked your own ways have been in trespassing you cannot think Gods ways crooked in arresting The Lord himself thus vindicates his own righteousness Ezek. 18.24 In his trespass which he hath trespassed and in the sin which he hath sinned shall he die Blame not justice for arresting you when you die Ye have been Trespassers that is you have gone out of the way all your lives Therefore God challengeth them for challenging him Yet ye say my way is not equal v. 25. Hear O Israel are not my ways equal Are not your ways unequal 29. Therefore I will judg you O house of Israel according to your ways Repent and turn from all your transgressions that is from all your goings astray and so iniquity shall not be your ruine v. 30. And what can the Lord say other If saith God you will not cease trespassing you shall die in your trespass but if you would turn and O that you would saith God from your transgression it should not be your ruine Therefore cast away all your transgressions v. 31. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord wherefore turn your selves and live v. 32. And if for all this you shall so love rather to wander and to trespass than to walk in the high-way of God the way of peace Be it unto you according to your hearts desire The Lord shall judg you according to your own ways Therefore Secondly 2. Caution what ways you walk in Let me entreat you to be exceedingly observant what ways you walk in There is but one way of life All the other ways are Wilderness The ways of infancie ways of childhood ways of youth ways of manhood of old age are all a wilderness if the condition of the soul be Christ-less therefore mark the way thou walkest in Many times experienced travailers miss the way which they well know by having their thoughts otherwise employed and as to their way inconsiderate David's question of young men holds true in all Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way Why by taking heed thereto according to thy word Psal 119.9 So Job 22.15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden Mark the bad way take heed unto the good and so shalt thou keep in the way of salvation and out of the wilderness of sin Thirdly 3. Terror to those that are will continue in the wilderness But what shall I say to those that notwithstanding all that hath been spoken are yet and yet resolve to be in the wilderness of sin That have been young and now are old yet still in sin Sirs do you not hear God inviting you into his way Do you not hear the Lion roaring in your own way Do you not hear that a wilderness-death follows a wilderness-life and that Hell follows with it You are sometimes scared from thought of the ways of holiness and mortification self-denial c. upon hear-say and thought that there 's a Lion in that way Prov. 26.13 when there 's no such matter and though God himself tels you that himself in these your ways will be as a Lion to you and that your transgression will be our ruine and asks you Why will ye dy all that he can ge● from you is this We will dy in the wilderness we have lived in the wilderness we will die What can God say but Be it as you have spoken and Die eternally Question But I hear some poor souls crying We have found sin as you have said we have found childhood youth age the world and all that is in the world a wilderness and fain would we exchange for a better state O! what would you have us to do Answer why God himself answers you Repent and turn from all your transgressions Ezek. 18.30 and cast away from you all your transgressions v. 31. that is turn unfeinedly turn universally Turn you and the Lord shall come Encouragement to com out of the wilderness Christ will meet them and meet you in your way For the Redeemer shall come to them that turn from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord. Isai 49.20 O! but what shall I do with my sins my wandrings my wilderness-provocations I durst come were it not for them Why Sirs I pray deal plainly with me and with your selves Are you willing to come in good earnest Speak and I le speak If you be I dare say of you young or old rich or poor as of any of the Saints of God already converted All we like Sheep have gone astray Mark that we and all we And the Lord hath laid upon him all the iniquity of us all and we have turned every one to his own way And bear their burthen for them and yet the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Isai 53.6 O! that as all of us have thus gone out of the way we might all of us come up out of the wilderness leaning upon our Beloved CHAP. VII Containing the discovery of the Point in three Queries Qu. 1. What advantages Satan hath to bewilder Souls 1. From our selves our hearts are a Wilderness proved and applied THus much for the doctrinal proof of the Point Discovery of the Point in three Queries 1. What advantages Satan hath to bewilder poor souls We come now to further discoverie of what you have heard so fully so sadly proved I pitch upon these three Heads First what advantages Satan hath Secondly what pains he takes Thirdly what means he makes to bewilder poor souls And what first are Satans advantages The Apostle 2 Cor. 2.11 puts us on this Lest Satan saith he get an advantage of you for we are not ignorant of his devices It seems Satan is very carefull to take and to improve all advantage of poor souls And unto what Why unto his own devices called by the same Apostle Ephes 6.11 Wiles or Methods or as we englished bewildrings You must think the same thing to be intended in both places so then call them devices or bewildrings or bewildring devices which you will there is advantage that Satan hath and that Satan takes in order unto them There are two sorts of advantages that Satan hath 2. Sorts of advantages 1. Sort from our selves 2. Sorts of them as to the bewildring of poor souls From our selves some others from himself First from us There are two great advantages First our hearts naturally are a wilderness Secondly subject to tempt and lead us into the wilderness Therefore you may observe this difference of expression Somtimes God complains that they walk in the counsels of their own hearts So Ier. 7.24 they hearkened not c but walked in the counsels

with you this threefold account The exceeding bignesse and vast latitude and Dimensions of the heart The extream numerousnesse of the waies that are therein The windings and turnings that are in those waies First consider the vast Dimension of the heart of man 1. The vastnesse of the heart The World as you have heard is big enough for a Wildernesse but the heart is much bigger The world is not large enough to hold thine heart but thine heart is big enough to hold a great many worlds Alexanders heart was too big for the world for when he had conquered it he sate down som say and wept because there were no more worlds for him to conquer Eccles 3.11 He hath set the world in their heart The World is nothing so big as the heart I remember I once saw the pictures of our severall faculties as Will Memory c. one was the phancy of phancy or the figure of the phantasie and O it was a painter painted painting an heart in that heart the world in one Corner an harlot the Emblem of the flesh in another and the Devill in the third and I judge it lively expressed The heart is so much bigger then the World as to be able to hold the flesh that is corrupt Nature and the Devill too Now put together our own Corruptions all Satans temptations and the World allurements and if that heart that is big enough to comprehend all these be not large enough by these to become our Wildeernesse judge you CHAP. VIII Contains further proof and discovery 2. Many waies that are in the heart SEcondly Consider the great many waies of this great heart I 'l warrant enough to bewilder you Pro. 19.21 There are many devices in the heart of man and Pro. 16.9 A mans heart deviseth his way Put both together There are many Devices of mans heart and all these are the waies of mans heart therefore many are the waiee of the heart of man Like so great a City that hath so many streets that one supposed to be bred and born in it is not able to reckon or to know them all such a City or Wildernesse rather is mans heart To understand this I would have you know that all the waies of a mans life that are properly mans waies are first in mans heart A mans heart deviseth his way 'T is said Psal 84.5 Blessed is the man in whose heart are the waies of them c. that is of Gods people Gods peoples waies are in their hearts So sinners waies are first of all of them in sinners hearts Hence I prove that their hearts are Wildernesses unto them As if a man be to ride to London to morrow the nature of the heart is to ride the journey before-hand to night when it goes to sleep or in the morning when he wakes So his heart sins over his sin before-hand And how can these waies but be an heart-wilderness to the unregenerate Therefore saith God Isai 47.13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy Counsels and verse 15. The Merchants which thou hast laboured with from thy youth shall wander every of them to his Quarter none of them shall save thee Evidences of the multitude of wayes in the heart The waies and counsels of their owne hearts were that which undid them I shall farther offer two or three things under this head to your Consideration which may abundantly prove the multitude of the wayes of our heart and readinesse of those wayes to bewilder us First There never was any way of sin in any heart but thine heart and mine are expose thereunto 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no tentation taken you but that which is common to man c. but God will make a way to escape Marke Every temptation is a bewildring tentation unlesse God make a way thou canst not scape and every such temptation is common to man even every one upon the Earth The same temptation that undid Cain and Cham and Jeroboam and Judas are common to thee and thy soule might be bewildred in the same wayes if God made not a way to escape Now thinke what multitudes of waies are there for sinners that live now to walke in even all the wayes that ever sinners walked in hitherto therefore 't is registred of some afterward that they went in the way of Cain before them Jud. 11. and followed the way of Balaam 2 Pet. 2.15 Their wayes and the wayes of all other sinners that ever were are before the eyes of their unregenerate heart Secondly There was never way of sinne in any heart but thine heart and mine are naturally disposed to it Prov. 27.19 As face in water answers face so the heart of man answers to man Thy face in the water which was then I suppose their onely looking-glasse is not more like thy very face then thine heart and anothers are by nature alike the same dispositions to cruelty as in Cain to covetousnesse as in Balaam to betray Christ as in Judas or what ever else was comitted by whomsoever else you have heard of or read of or knowne are naturally in thine owne heart Thou art not onely subject and exposed but inclined and disposed unto them And truly I thinke it becomming us when we heare of anothers sinne in the Act and Fruit to looke upon it as our owne in the Root and so to be humbled for it and rapt up in admiration of his Grace who hath made the difference Thirdly There was never any sinne in thine owne life but it was the way of thine heart first Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart c. They are all gone aside verse 3. so Prov. 7.25 Let not thine heart decline to her waies go not astray in her paths The heart goes alwaies before the rest goes Now then if all the waies of sinne that ever thou wert in or that ever any other were in are and have been either actually or as we say in actu primo in their originall root and spawn in thine heart thou canst not but rest convicted that there are in thine heart wayes enough to make a wildernesse 3ly The many windings of those wayes Thirdly As the heart of man is very great and full of waies so are those waies full of windings and turnings to and againe and therefore the heart cannot but be a Wildernesse The heart of man is compared to the belly of a man Prov. 20.27 because of any creature a mans bowels as Anatomists note are fullest of windings so full of windings are the wayes of the heart so full I say that himselfe that walkes in them can't know where he is Jer. 17.9 The heart is deceitful above all things and who can know it In the fifth verse you have mention of an heart departing from the Lord and therefore becomming an Heath in the Desert a salt Land and a Wildernesse verse 6. And this is the heart that is so desperately full of windings and

Wildernesse Thine heart is exposed yea and disposed too to all the wayes and windings of spirit that ever entangled any soule in the world Vse and surely they are enough to bewilder thee Oh let this consideration to purpose humble thee whereever thou goest thou carriest thy wildernesse about thee Come we now to a second sort of Satans Advantages that he hath from us to bewilder us which is CHAP. IX ●pntaines the second advantage from our selves our hearts are tempters into the wildernesse opened and applyed 2d Advant Our hearts are tempted into the wilderness SEcondly Our hearts are not only a Wildernesse unto us but tempters and seducers into the Wildernesse Naturally they are a sinfull Wildernesse and as naturally doe they inveigle us into the Wildernesse of sinne And alas how easie is it for Satans devices to bewilder us since he hath such advantage of us Our hearts advise counsell and perswade us having been first perswaded by Satan Hence are the expressions of that other sort Jer. 9.14 and 18.12 and 23.17 They walke after the devices and counsels Note and imaginations of their own hearts Their hearts are their guides and they goe after their hearts Now when man followes his hearts guidance if his heart lose it selfe in sinne he must needs be lost in the same Wildernesse Mat. 5.28 Whosoever lookes on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart In this case the heart is the Baud the heart is lost first the whole man goes after it and is lost with it 'T is said of the young Man and the Whore Prov. 7. She was the first she caught him and kissed him and with an impudent face tempted him verse 13. And he goes after her verse 22. Our hearts being forwardest as Harlots tempt us and we as fooles straight-way go after them And this our hearts take up of themselves Naturally so 't is naturall to them to lead us to the wildernesse Their bent is that way Looke what way the bent of any thing in the world is that way will it goe Compare two Scriptures Hos 11.7 They are bent to backslyding from me to slide back from my counsels and calls and waies to slide back into their own waies wildernesse c. And then Prov. 14.14 The backslyder in heart shall be fill'd with his own waies Marke Backslyding that is before the peoples bent is here called the hearts own way You shall therefore finde that the Lord challengeth the heart as first in the transgression or going astray Act. 7.39 In their hearts they turned back to Egypt Our hearts subject to be tempted into the wilderness from these two reasons Now then a word or two to give you an account first that our hearts are bent to walke after the waies of the wildernesse and then that we are bent to walke after the waies of our own hearts First then The bent of our hearts is by nature to the wildernesse There are but these two things that engage the bent ones heart to one place rather then another 1. Innate affection First An innate affection I like this place the best of any place that ever I saw saith one How much is that place my darling saith another Beloved the Wildernesse of sinne is our hearts darling wee fancy no place naturally so much as this wildernesse no wayes please us so well as the wayes of sinne There is something in every particular place that suits some mans particular fancy that makes him abide there There is something in every particular sinne that suits some sinners particular fancy and that makes him dwell there still Our heart naturally suits with these wayes of sinne therefore it is that men walke in them still 2ly Cuflomatinesse Secondly A Customary aboad I have lived saith one all my dayes in the City and I doe not know how now to dwell in the Country I have lived saith another all my daies in the Country and I cannot tell how to away with the City Aire the City-noises the City-Company c. Our hearts by nature are and ever have been accustomed to the wildernesse therefore the bent of our hearts is to the Wildernesse-ward still We cannot brook dwelling in Gods holy City the heavenly Jerusalem We have not been accustomed to such manner of living such company such converse You have both these pregnantly expressed in one scripture Jer. 14.10 Thus saith God to this people Thus have they loved to wander they have not refrained their feet They have loved to wander there 's their innate affection to this spirituall Wildernesse They have not refrained their feet there is their Customary bewildring Wandring they love and wandring they are used to It suites with their phancy and it is that which they have spent their daies in and upon these two accompts it is that the bent of their hearts is towards the Wildernesse And now Secondly Our hearts prevalent in tempting us upon two grounds If the bent of our hearts be Wildernesse-ward it 's easie to conceive how they bend us towards the Wildernesse Hos 4.8 they set their heart on thoir iniquity and I will punish them for their waies Verse 9. Their waies are according to the bent of their hearts So 2 Tim. 3.6 Led away with divers lusts Lusts those are the stirrings and motions of the heart and these are the tempters to lead us away Remarkable is that Ezek. 12 21. But as for them whose heart walketh after their abominations I 'le recompence their waies upon their own heads Such therefore as their hearts are such will their waies be And that upon these two grounds First our hearts are the men of our Counsell 1. They are our Bosome-Counsellors They lie in our bosoms and therefore as to the choice of all our waies with them it is that we consult Our bosom-friends and darling relations are our hearts If man be refractory as to any way It 's policy to perswade the wife of his bosom prevail with her and 't is likely she will prevail with him Satan when hee would seduce us into any of his waies hee first makes it his businesse to overcome our hearts in our bosoms and us by them Pray thee husband go saith the wife and then he goes Pray go saith the heart and away he goes 1 Tim. 2.13 Adam was not deceived that is not first but the woman being deceived was in the transgression Two things there are here remarkable First the woman that lay in Adams bosom was bewildred for so the word signifies before the man Secondly the heart of the woman was bewildred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before she her self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was led to go astray The woman in Adams bosom bewildred him the heart in Eves bosom bewildred her The influence of the wife of thy bosom to perswade thee is grounded upon propriety Shee being thine own so nearly so dearly thou think'st she will not

perswade thee but to thine own good and the influence that thine heart hath upon thee to guide thy bent after its own bent and thy waies after its own waies is the propriety that thou hast in it and it in thee thus Jam 1.14 Every man saith the Apostle is tempted when he is lead away of his own lust That which tempts him leads him and that which leades him leads him away and that which thus tempts him and leads him away is lust and the reason why lust hath such prevalency upon him is because it is his own lust So then 't is his own heart that leads him to the Wildernesse of his own ruine 2d Betwixt Gods waies Satans the heart hath the Casting-voice Secondly Our hearts have the casting voice betwixt the Counter-voices of God and Satan If three men be travailing and come to a parting way and debate ariseth which of the two waies shall be taken Saith the one this way Saith the other that way now observe what way the third saith carries both for hee hath the casting voice so here Come with me from the Lions Den from the Mountains of the Leopards saith God Stay still in my Den and I will use you well saith Satan Now what saith thine heart what way it votes that way thou goest Come now is Gods voice Not yet saith Satan Not yet saith the heart why truly then thou stayest in the Wildernesse still You have often mention of Gods voice to Israel yet little good was wrought by it Why what hindred oh their hearts voice was the third voice and that was a Counter-vote to Gods So Jer. 7.23 I said Obey my voice and walk in my waies Gods voice is walk in Gods waies But they hearkned not ver 24. But walked in the Counsell of their Evil heart and walked backward and not forward God cryes forward and into my waies Satan cryes backward and keep your own waies Their heart cryes backward and let us walk in our own waies still and thus as the heart voiceth so they walk So then observe in all the motions and calls of God which way stands thine heart affected which side votes that on Verily till God in the wonderfull work of Conversion come and make the heart say as he saith and vote as he votes the soul cannot chuse but as those in Act. 7. thrust him away and despise his voice because the hearts voice is to turn backward again to Aegypt And this makes our heart so prevailing a tempter into the Wildernesse If our heart have the casting voice it will certainly perswade us to go where it useth and loves it selfe to be To improve this unto all that heare mee this day First Vse To those that are come out of the Wildernesse To keep their hearts from going back to those that through mercy are come out of this wildernes Oh! sirs if thy heart in thy bosome thus love and hath thus been accustomed to wander and is so ready to tempt so dangerous in tempting so like to prevail let me still beg of you that above all keepings you would keep your hearts from rambling again for if they get into the Wildernesse again they will quickly get you thither Me thinks Satan should never be able to bewilder us unlesse he had this advantage of us he ploughs with our heifer hee makes use of the wise of our bosomes I mean our hearts and then are we suddainly led away Some think 't is enough if they can but guide their feet in the way I mean their outward Conversation but the wise and holy man thought not so whose counsell is this Pro. 23.19 Hear thou my Son and be wise and keep thine heart in the way When Davids heart cast those wanton darts from the house top to Bathshebah little thought hee that he was entring such filthy such bloody paths of the Wildernesse Therefore as Pro. 7.25 Let not thine heart decline to her waies if thou wouldst not go astray in her paths 2. To the bewildred to labour to get out their hearts forward Secondly To those that are yet in the Wildernesse desirous but ignorant how to get forth If thy heart be thy tempter thy bewildring Guide and seducer if thine heart were the first in the Wildernesse labour the first thing thou dost to get this heart of thine out of the Wildernesse This is the Lords expresse Counsell Jer. 31.21 Set thine heart toward the high way Even the way that thou wentest turn again O Virgin of Israel turn again to these thy Cities I have observed you can never get out some Table or Couch or the like out of a very narrow door through the which it came in till you turn it the self same end forward that came in forward Thou maist strike at this sinne and that corruption and strive to mend this and that but thou wilt never get out of sin till that end go out formost that came in formost You came into the Wildernesse with your heart forward and you must out again with your heart forward or not at all as it is with the body crouding through a narrow hole get your head thorough and then all will thorough so here get your hearts thorough and then all will thorough Motives hereunto This double advice I shall desire to set home upon your hearts upon this double consideration First There is not any thing in the Word that God accounteth worse and that grieves him more then these heart-bewildrings Jer. 13.10 This Evill people which refuse words and walk in the imaginations of their heart This is that which God calls Evill Yea in this God chargeth them as doing worse then their Idolatrous and rebellious Fathers Jer. 7.24 25 26. This is the Generation that grieveth God even they that erre in heart Heb. 3.10 Yea he complaineth he is broken with their whorish heart Ezek. 6.9 Secondly There is not any thing that God wili deal worse with thee for then for this and grieve thee when time serves more then for this There is not a place that I quoted that mentions these heart-bewildrings but with them their destruction Therefore he will bring Evill on them such as they shall not escape Jer. 11.11 therefore hee will feed them with wormwood and give them water of Gall to drink Jer. 9.15 therefore their Carkasses shall be meat for the fowls of Heaven ●●d beasts of the Earth and none shall fray them away Jer. 7.33 Therefore God will recompence their way upon their own heads Ezek. 11.21 and what shall this recompence be Why a grievous whirlwind of Gods fury which shall fall suddainly upon their heads and at length they shall know it and that perfestly Jer. 23.17 18 19 20. So Ezek. 6.10 Because they loved to wander and refrained not their feet therefore the Lord will not accept them but will now remember their iniquity and visit their sin Jer. 14.10 Yea because hee is so grieved with those

for all him or any of his commands while he is without but now if once he enter the City then they must goe whither soever he drives them some to Prison some into the Water others to the Gallowes others into the Wildernesse so though there be legions of Devils without us yet till they enter us our hearts may keepe their own motions yea though they be round about us but you 'l say They must needs go whom the Devill drives though it be into Water as the herd of swine into the halter as Judas in the Wildernesse as Legion and the Devill may easily drive when he enters and indeed may easily enter because hee is a Spirit Sirs What can possibly keep out a Spirit shut downe your Windowes lock your doores yea though your Gates were Iron and your Barres of Brasse yet will a Spirit enter and that without penetration because it s not a body 'T is said Luk. 22.3 That Satan then entred into Judas From henceforward trace him and where ever he goes you may plainly see the Devill drives him It followes immediately verse 4. And he went his way He goes Christs wayes no longer but his owne and his owne are but Satans for first he goes and betrayes his Master and then he goes and hangs himselfe He must needs goe the Devill drives him Drunkards you little thinke who drives you to the Alehouse he that drives you is got within you and therefore though you cannot see him yet you goe with him whithersoever he would have you to goe so it is with all sinners Satan's a Spirit and therefore he can enter he enters and therefore he can drive hee can drive and you must therefore needs go and hence you are driven of the Devill into the Wilderness as hee was Luk. 8.29 2ly He as a Spirit is akinne to the soule 2ly Satan is a Spirit and therefore he is as it were akinne to the soule You know the proverb concerning Birds and I may say in some sort Satan is of a feather with our soules and one wing one way Hence it is that when our soules see Satan goe before we are so mad of fluttering aftrr Beloved Satans suggestions are so alike our owne hearts motions that wee sometimes shall finde it very hard to know his footsteps from our owne Now marke If a man be in a Wildernesse and there be never so many tracts of this and that and th' other wild beast if the man light upon a print but of one mans foot oh that 's the way that he will be sure to take and Satans footsteps are so like ours that who can sometimes know the print asunder You have Peter disswading Christ from suffering Mat. 16.22 And 't is said Peter began to rebuke him and I verily thinke that Peter thought it it was his owne way and an expression of his owne hearts love to Jesus Christ and I believe the other Disciples thought it was a print of Peters feet of Peters tender affections to his Lord and Master But it seemes it was not so or primarily so 't was Satans footstep rather then Peters for Jesus turn'd him and said unto him Get thee behind me Satan verse 23. We are often going Satans way when we think we are going but our own way Therefore with ease may Satan lead you into the wildernes when wee may so easily perswade you that is your own way Thirdly Satan is a spirit 3. He as a spirit is able to converse reason with the soul and therefore able to Converse with the soul as to look our spirits as I may say in the face in their own likenesse so also to speak to them in their own language As Hannah spake with her heart when shee spake not with her lips so can Satan speak to our hearts and they to him without any opening of the lips for both are spirits As are wee so Satan is a discursive rationall spirit and as at first he disputed out the businesse with Eve and prevailed so ever since in the serpents voice though not in the serpent skin hee maintaines a like argument in our soules and this hee can do because a spirit You shall therefore finde that the same that is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 6.11 the bewildrings of Satan is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2.11 the devices of Satan so we read it but the word is that which signifies the reasonings and arguings of our hearts So then Satan seduceth us into the Wildernesse by pressing upon us our own arguments he perswades us by our own logick in the naturall language of our own hearts A Lyon may roar long enough before a man that is without the Forrest and hears him would come in to him But if instead of a Lyon a man were there calling and so the other should hear one crying in his owne voice and language that might perhaps perswade him It were vain for Satan to roar men into sin though hee be a roaring Lion but he must flatter them into it by secret whisperings in their own language to their soules If the Devill should appear and speak to the drunkard in the morning in a dog or a toad as he doth to some witches sure the Drunkard would be affrighted for that day But he speaks in the mans own hearts language Go to such a place there 's such company and such ber c. Therefore that Scripture is sadly to be thought up Ezek. 11.21 Their heart goes after the heart of their dete stable things and of their abominations Here 's one heart going after another the heart of the tempted after the heart of the temptation Our hearts in sinning going after Satans heart in tempting He projects and we prosecute his heart designes and our heart pursues the designe The temptations of Satan are destable yet they are after his heart and our heart goes after the heart of the detestable things that is after Satans heart you see the same word that signifies our Cogitations the Holy Ghost useth for Satans devices and this is because hee is a Spirit Secondly As he is a Spirit so he is an Angell and this gives him yet far greater advantage 2dly He is an Angel and therefore can present all his temptations specious and angelicall God tells them Exod. 23.20 that he would send his Angell before them and that encourages them to venture upon that Wildernesse So Satan sends his Angell before poor souls and so gets them into this spirituall Wildernesse He is an Angell and therefore all his temptations shall be guilded temptations beautified with Angells feathers Though he be a Devill yet his Apparitions to the soul shall be as an Angell even as an Angell of light 2 Cor. 11.14 'T is said of some that they draw iniquity with Cords of Vanity and sin as it were with Cart-ropes Isa 5.18 and what are these drawing Cords ver 20. they call evill good and put light for

man of complexion and the Devill knew by a look of him what path of the Wildernesse would entangle him The Devill hath bewildred passionate folks before and proud folks before and lustfull ones before and covetous ones before c. and it cannot be but what ever the length of thy foot is that Satan by this time should have a way in the Wildernesse fitted for thee As an old cheat that will have more tricks then one that if one fail another may take and that the young fool might not know all So Satan Pro. 5.6 lest thou shouldst ponder the path of life his waies are moveable so that thou canst not know them And this is his great advantage It may be thou art a young Christian a young Saint but thou hast to doe with an Old Serpent Use If Satan have so great advantage to bewiider you And thus you have heard what advantages on all hands Satan hath to bewilder the soul I shall desire the improvement of it in a word or two You have heard that our own hearts are Wildenesses of sinne and tempters too into the Wildernesse that Satan by Legions and their ageement being a spirit himselfe and and ●n Angell and a Devill as also being a Father a Prince a God to the naturall man and lastly being an old Serpent experienced in all the windings and turnings of the Wildernesse is easily able to bewilder soules and if you be convinced then 1. Caution in the choice of your way First Be very carefull in the choice of your way Would you cleanse your way then take heed thereto Ps 119 9. My friends as you would tremble at the thoughts of following Satan as your King and God and Father in his way bee very carefull in the choice of your own waies I have observed that carelesnesse of our waies is the adding of advantage to Satan to all his advantages and 't is as if you should say Satan hath not enough already I le give him more How many are there that goe on and on and never consider in what way or to what end He that goes and considers not whither is like to be lost he knowes not where Jer. 3.12 God calls Israel a back-sliding people It followes ver 13. acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed or gone out of the way and and hast scattered thy waies to strangers Mark that Those that are inconsiderate and heedlesse of what things they have are they that scatter them Here 's a scattering of waies to this strange temptation and that strange lust c. now what is the way to keep from scattering but by narrow looking to that which otherwise we should scatter As David saith I said I will take heed unto my waies Psal 39.1 Those then that are heedlesse of their waies are scatterers of their waies and know it sirs whatever waies you scatter Satan will be sure to gather Scatter a Sermon out of your memories and these fowls of the aire will pick it up and carry it away Scatter but a thought or any affection on a carnal or sinfull object the Devill will snatch it up and carry it away This then is the desperate folly of our hearts that by heedlesnesse wee should scatter our waies to strangers Therefore saith the same Prophet to the same People Jer. 6.16 thus saith the Lord stand ye in the waies and see and ask c. Surely many a man 's bewlldred because when time was he did not stand and ask Oh that I could bring but sinners to a stand this day whither away so fast thou galloping drunkard ranting roister What wilt not once stop before thou lightest at Hell-Tavern Wilt thou take all the wayes thou hittest upon without once enquiring whether thou art in the right way Oh! Pause a little and aske and see Perhaps there may be nere another house betwixt thee and the Wildernesse to inquire at Perhaps thou maist never heare a Sermon more or be at a publique meeting more and therefore whilest thou passest by the doore of this dayes discourse stand a while and aske and see What madnesse is it to runne preposterously into any way when a sober inquiry might find a right I am confident this is the undoing of many a soule they are never brought to a stand till Hell stops them But let us take Gods counsell to day in Gods feare to stand and ask and see and choose Two Expressions of David laid together may engage Christians hereunto Psal 119.30 I have chosen the way of truth I have stuck unto thy testimonies verse 31. And I will run the way of thy Commandements Oh! sirs Choosing Christians will be sticking Christians If you will walke in Gods wayes deliberately and of choice you 'l find in your heart to stick to those wayes yea though you mend your pace yet to keepe your way though you runne yet to stick still and then though thou see the God and King and Father of the world going another way and all the world in course following after him yea though thy naturall heart had been accustomed too and had loved the other way yet having made such a stand and in thy stand such a choice of this way here thou wilt stick notwithstanding all the other wayes 2ly Be carefull of your Way-markes 2ly Since Satan hath such advantage to bewilder you be very observant of your Way-markes you heard before of taking heed unto your waies and this must be according to Gods Word Psal 119.9 If a Father send his Sonne such a dangerous journey where there are many upon the Way whose businesse it is to turne the traveller aside that they might in a Corner make a spoile of him the young man knows not the way only the Father gives him a Paper of directions concerning it At such a place you must turne on the left hand of such a steeple and when you goe farther you must turne on the right hand of such a Wind-mill c. Now when he comes to such a place and sees such a steeeple he perceiveth the marks to be true markes a Robber enters discourse with him enquires his way tells him his way lies right with his they come neare the steeple or windmill c. The Robber tells him he must turn one way he lookes on his Note and that saith he must turne another upon this he seasonably and securely parts and avoids the danger by due observance of his Way-marks Therefore saith God to Ephraim his Son and deare Child to repenting Ephraim Jer. 31.21 Set thine heart towards the high way set thee up Way-marks My Brethren lest the lying Devill should bewilder us God hath given the Holy Scriptures for Way-marks unto us Keepe your Markes or lose your way God hath blessed be his name set down in a Paper which way we should goe and what way we should turne from both upon the right hand and upon the left And this use of the Scriptures is

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 s●●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 ●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 dark valley of the shadow of death It deceived me how is that truly thus much I can say to it from the experience that I have had of poore soules in such a condition Darkning us that their sense of their sinne hath beene more then true even greater in some respect then their sinne Consult with Paul who tells you here that he was deceived but doth not tell you wherein 1 Tim. 1.15 Christ came to save sinners saith he of whom I am chiefe Why how could that bee Paul was before Conversion a sober blamelesse man as touching the Law Phil. 3.6 Zealous according to his light if you urge his persecuting of the Church why still there are as great if not much greater sinners then he for 1 Tim 1.13 He did it ignorantly Yet still when the Law stirres up the sence of sinne as encompassing poore Paul this is that that kills him that he is the chiefe of sinners Thus is it with our poore hearts Oh! when we see the brightnesse and glory of the Law of the Lord how Holy and just and good it is and how vile and sinfull and abominable our selves are Oh! never was there any sinne like ours never any guilt like ours What sinne against such meanes as I against such light as I against such mercies as I against such calls of Grace as I Oh! never any one sinned as I have done Yes friend thinke as bad of thy selfe as thou wilt others as sinfull as thou have gone before thee Now this is one bewildring darknesse● in the fence of sinne which may more humble then hurt you I would many were allured into this wilderness this day But now comes Satan as I said before Darkning that splendor of Gods mercy unto us and his businesse is to raise the darksome fogges of thy selfe-condemning and soul-bewildring thoughts yet higher so as not onely to bedarken all that is within thee but to cloud the face of mercy and to obscure the glory of Christs undertakings by the black guilt of thy sinnes Here is a worse deceiving by the sense of sin through Satans temptation and this makes the formes Wildernesse much more bewildring and the poore lost Creature ten thousand times more at a loss then it was before when the soule comes to see its sinnes greater then any other sinnes of the Children of men Satan striketh in and takes advantage to make it account its sinnes greater then any of Gods pardons and this is a deceiving indeed unto slaying and such I believe was the dark bewildring sence that Cain and Judas had of their sinnes take heed take heed of this deceipt in your sensibleness of your sinnes and yet even in this dark wilderness are many deare unto God for a season left and as it were lost till God come and speake comfortably unto them I can give you two eminent instances both of mine owne knowledge Instance The one was when I was a little one A rich man was walking and there comes a poor Creature to him with death in his face and begges of him some reliefe the man was an hard man and denyed the poor wretch importunes and through importunity prevailes thus farre saith the rich man come to my house to morrow and I will give you something Oh! sir saith the poore one I shall die before morning if I have not something to succour me this night yet could not the Rich man be then prevailed with that very night the begger dyed was sound dead the next morning the Rich man laies this to hear as I confess well he might was so terrified that for much time not the least comfort could be fastned on him but never was any guilt or sinne like his by night he was faine to have constant company and Candles burning with him and it would frequently cry out That now the Devill was ready to seize on him He was through providence brought unto a godly Minister where I was and to whom I was related I being little was left in the roome when the Minister and he were together Oh! it would have broken any heart that had the least of tendernesse to see the poore man what paines he tooke to load himselfe with misery and to obstruct the way of mercy and this was the upshot of all never was there such a Murtherer as he that obtained mercy I remember for the afflicted mans carriage made the discourse take more impression on me the Minister instanced in Davids Murther and aggravated it what a man David was of what profession under what mercies c. and what a man Uriah was a godly man a faithfull subject a publique spirited man c. and what a murther it was known wilfull devised plotted longed for and pleasing to David when accomplished and yet I remember would not that poore man bee perswaded but that his sinne was farre greater then Davids and so such as God would not pardon although at length it pleased God by that Minister to fasten some comfort on him Instance The other was mine owne experience also not long since Indeed the good woman desired me for Caution unto others concealing her to take some occasion to speake of the thing Her great sinne for which shee thought there was no mercy no pardon was a lie and on this manner she was private at duty in a roome that was said to be haunted as the phrase is in the night and there came by the Chamber doore a man of the house that hearing some stirring there asked her it being very dark whether she was there or no calling her by her name she being unwilling that hee should know that she used to be there of the suddaine answered that it was not she he urged her again and again she denyed At length the man halfe affrighted prayed her as ever she look'd for mercy from God that she would tell him if it were she and shee being much moved and yet unwilling through the strength of the present temptation to unsay what she had spoken denyed it yet again I thus farre agreed with her that it was indeed a very great sinne and deeply to be sorrowed for but her language was that it was the greatest sinne that ever was committed and that there could be no mercy for her because she had denyed the mercies of the Lord. I instanced in Peters denial of Christ once twice thrice till it came to cursing and swearing and perfect disowning of his Saviour I know not the man I aggravated it from Peters solemne profession of Christ his engagement not to deny him c. and yet notwithstanding he obtained mercy But for all I could say I could not for the present perswade the woman but that her denyall was a farre greater sinne then Peters and though she believed that there was mercy for him and salvation for him that declaredly denyed his Saviour yet could I not perswade her that there was any mercy for her who as

are thy thoughts that perswade thee that it will please God better to damn thee then to save thee 2ly The exerting of pardoning grace 2ly Gods glory is most in mercy sets the brightest crown of glory upon the head of the Almighty Exo. 33.18 Moses begs of God I beseech thee shew me thy glory and how doth God answer his prayer herein why ver 19. I will make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaime 〈◊〉 name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy this is Gods name and his glory If this then be the darkness wherein thou hast walked that God will have most glory in damning thee take hold upon this name of the Lord and stay thy selfe upon him as thy God CHAP. XXI Containes the third kind of bewildring darkness viz. relating to the way of reconciliation betwixt us and God in three particulars under the last whereof this question is resolved what humiliation is sufficient to reconciliation THe third last sort of bewildring darknesses attending conversion it self 3d. Kind Such as respect the way of reconciliation betwixt us and God are such as relate unto the way of Reconciliation between us God And verily though we have a desire now to make peace with God yet how shal we come at him if we be in the dark as to the way of peace The way of peace they have not known may be truly said for some season of some souls that would have peace I remember when God had hammered them by so many judgements Amos 4.12 At length he comes to a nameless judgement so sad that it seems it could not be expressed Therefore thus will I doe unto thee Thus how 's that truly I can't tell how and what of that Oh! therefore prepare to meet thy God O Israel to meet him therefore you must goe onely in that way towards him wherein he is a comming towards you if you go in any other way you I will misse of him not meet him and if you be in the dark though you desire to meet him yet may you misse of the way and so be bewildred when you would be reconciled therefore Mat. 5.25 Agree with thine Adversary quickly whilst thou art in the way with him If thou wouldest agree with God thou must be in the same way with God if thou wouldest meet him thou must meet him in his own way Now there is but onely one way of Reconciliation wherein God will draw neere unto a lo●t soule being justified by faith through Jesus Christ we shall have peace with God Rom. 5.1 And therefore the same is our onely way of Pacification with God so Heb. 10.20 This is the new and living way Now all other are but dead waies wherein a lost soule seeks life Now what heart hath light enough at the first to see and to hit upon this new and living way I can challenge your darknesse in this respect upon this three-fold accompt 1. You think that undubtedly you must give something to God 1 Darknes we thinke we must give something to God towards your reconciliation with God Now this is very darkness for it is Gods giving of Christ unto you not your giving of any thing unto God that is the bottom of your pacification But very ready are we to thinke and Satan to perswade us that there is no comming unto God but by bringing something of our owne unto God Hence that enquiry Mic. 6.6 Wherewithall shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before him shall I come before him with sacrifices c. Oh! that 's the dark counsell of our vain hearts Bribe Justice and then you shall have its favour I speak not to streighten your hearts or hands from lending to the Lord but to direct your souls where to bottom your peace Doth your goodness extend unto him or will he take a reward to clear him that is guilty God forbid that any heart should think so and yet if many an heart were asked Wherefore are all these alms that thou givest Conscience must answer as Jacob in his course Complement to Esau Gen. 33.8 Esau said What meanest thou by this drove and Jacob said These are to find grace in the sight of my Lord he had need call him my Lord when he intimates him to be of so base and ignoble a a spirit that a Bribe should purchase pardon for a Brother Just so deal souls with God the alms they give their bounty to Saints to Ministers c. are to find favour in the sight of God But if Esau can refuse his present telling him he hath enough surely God may much more despise thy gifts be they what they will be because all things are his Psa 50.9 10. I will take no Bullock out of thine house nor Hee-goat out of thy fold for the beasts of all the Forrest c. are mine Set a side the Lord Jesus Christ and peace in believing and I dare say it would begger all the Saints and Angels in Heaven and Earth to make one Peace-offering to the Lord for any lost soul 2ly You think 2d Darkness We think we must do something for God that undoubtedly you must at least d●● something as a bottom and ground to your reconciliation with God Now this is also a soul-bewildring darknesse for if it be onely what Christ hath given then it is onely what Christ hath done that can be a propitiation to God for us What will God ever be friends with me that give him nothing nor do any thing for him how shall I think that Verily flesh and blood wil hardly think it therefore as the former question was Wherewithall shall I come before God what shall I give and the answer from God comes without money and without price so the next question that dark nature prompts is this Good Master what good thing shall I do that I may inherite eternal life Mat. 9 16. What good thing shall I do Oh! we think it must be some good thing of our own doing that must be at the bottom of our salvation What good thing saith Christ keep the Law and fulfill the Gospel that perfectly for that 's the sum of Christs answer to him Now friend if thy goodness extend so far then go on to meet the Lord in thine own way But now thou that livest upon such terms if ever God take thee as Solomon took Shimei when he had gone beyond his limits from Jerusalem to Gath after his run-away servants 1 Kin. 2.39 40. The Lord will deal with thee if ever he find thine heart running after the world or after sin as he dealt with Shimei ver 44. God will call thee to a severe account upon every old score and return all thy wickedness upon thine own head judging thee by thine own mouth Think of the Pharisee who comes and tells God what he

looks she calls she feeles for her husband but he is gone yet she goeth in the darke and after him she goes but in stead of finding him loseth her selfe Now perhaps she may fear yea think yea be perswaded that the joyes of yesterday were but a dreame and that she was never at all brought out of the Wildernesse Thus she takes on perhaps more than at the beginning untill the day again breaks and her Husband that all this while observed her speaks unto her and reveales himself afresh and comforts her And now this is that she will doe she takes hold of him she followes after him and yet keeps close unto him she makes him her strength if she cannot goe he must leade her he must carry her for home with him she must she is resolved to goe Pardon the Allegory for I speake of Christ and his Church The Soul departing from the Lord as all of us did in Adam is called a woman departing from her first Husband Hos 2. It thinkes to please it selfe in sin but instead of finding a way to true pleasure hits upon this spirituall Wildernesse The Night is the darksome clouding of a convicted wounded spirit The Lyons roaring c. is the terrours of the Law temptations of Satan horrors of Conscience In this condition as I said the soul is afraid of crying out for a Guide for a God for fear of the Devil Many a such soul is more afraid of praying now than it was of cursing or swearing before This Sunset of carnall comforts this Midnight of black terrours may and often doth continue long and alwaies long enough to make the poor heart weary of the Wildernesse But God is faithfull who suffers not the soul that he loves to be tempted above what it is able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape Through the tender mercy of this God the Day-star at length visites the soul thus sitting in darknesse And here 's some glimering of comfort to the heart Yea but anon the Sunne of Righteousnesse ariseth with healing under his wings And now are the beasts of the prey laying themselves downe in their dens Satan is chained up from assaulting the Law is prohibited from condemning and Conscience begins a little to be cheared and now the soul gets up upon her feet to hear what God will say and the sound that she hears is the voice of her Beloved where art thou poore Soul come unto me and I will give thee rest And this abundantly revives her yea but by and by Christ comes and manifests himself unto her and receives her making her able by Faith to embrace him He puts his Robes his Righteousnesse upon her nakednesse his Oyle his Comforts into her wounds his Wine his Joyes revive her his Grace his Oyntments doe perfume her and now the heart that was rent and the bones which were broken doe rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory And now the soul makes too much haste home even greater than Christ seeth convenient for it crying out Oh that I were dissolved that I might be at home with the Lord Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace Oh! that I had but power according to my minde what would not I doe for God This is much haste but doth this hold alwaies No verily the Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weake it s not able to beare such hard travail it grows drowsie and dull and heavy with sleep I meane security or sloath or the like yea and asleep it falls under the edge of the Wildernesse though it be out of the state of sinne yet it is neare unto the terrours and actings of sin still And as soon as this soul falls asleep Christ seemes to withdraw Anon the soul is again awakened but night is come upon it It is not yet so free from the Wildernesse but it can againe heare the roaring Lyons that is 't is again afflicted perplexed troubled Satan's as loud Conscience is as loud as ever And now saith the soul alass all was but a dreame but a delusion and I was never at all brought out of the Wildernesse never savingly wrought upon Now she gets up and loseth her self in looking a Christ now she is in as much darknesse as ever as to her apprehension and this is the first bewildring darknesse after Conversion v●z upon the soules falling asleep in spiritual sloth and security even upon such withdrawing of its first zeale and Gods withdrawing his first smiles But when Christ hath to purpose tryed he will graciously returne unto such and restore the joy of his salvation yet perhaps never againe in such a ravishing transporting measure here though he will restore a convenient measure to support for the present yet it's like so sparingly as to keep the soul in more humble and close dependance for the future I have been the longer Made out in the Spouse because I have been telling the main of the story of this Spouse in the Canticles unto that verse which is my Text. You may observe mention of two eminent times of darknesse or benighting times to the poor Spouse Twice in the dark the first was Cant. 3.1 By night I sought him c. Being in the dark she was afraid to be any more without him The second was Cant. 5.2 when she fell asleep and Christ waited to awaken her till his locks were bedewed with the night saith the Text. Now in both these darknesses she was at a losse for her beloved Cant. 3.1 I sought him but I found him not so ver 2 so also Cant. 5.6 I sought him but he had withdrawn himselfe Here it seemes she had once found him but now she hath lost him Now suitable to this double losse Twice coming out of the Wilderness and benighted condition you have mention made twice of her coming out of the Wildernesse Cant. 3. she is bewildred and benighted and at a losse for Christ but ver 4. at length she gets at him and it followes ver 6. Who is this that comes out of the Wildernesse perfumed with all the precious powders of the Merchant Where you have to observe 1. How sadly shee was bewildred till she came at Jesus Christ 2. In how glorious and transcendent beauty she was when she by taking hold upon Christ as is said ver 4. came out of the Wildernesse Oh 't is such a bright day now that she doth not thinke of another night so much peace of conscience joy in believing so much ravishment such smoking perfumes c. Now she comes out of the wilderness and she is a perfumed Spouse But then again as you read of her second Night and second Bewildring in the fifth Chapter so of her comming out of the wildernesse the second time in our Text. Onely observe the difference and you shall find it what I said true Who is this that comes up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved Cant.

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

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

must be burthensome 1. So thy weaknesse Thirdly Thy weakness and weariness must be burthensome as to the intensiveness of it First Thy weaknesse must be burthensome Many there are that are weak in duty and weak in grace if so be they have enough to denominate them weak in it and that see it too and yet are not burthened with it This is not the load that lyes upon their spirits but an Habakkuk trembles his lips quiver and his heart faints at it Hab. 3.16 And the Lord God shall be his strength ver 18. A Paul will cry out of it O wretched man and who shall deliver me and 't is a body of death q. d. It could not be a greater burthen to me to have a dead body fixed to me to carry about me then to carry about this dead heart c. And then he can thanke God through Jesus Christ Rom. 7.24.25 Secondly 2ly So thy wearinesse Thy wearinesse must be burthensome wearinesse never be thou well till thou be rid of it Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laiden Many are weary that are not greatly burthened with their wearinesse but Asaph was so loaden that he was even over-whelmed again Psa 77.3 Now if thy soule be thus burthened with thy spiritual either weaknesse or wearinesse And if it be so thou maist thus discover it First 1. Thou wilt willingly part with that which so weakens and wearies Thou wilt be marvellously willing to part with thy burthen to part with that that weakneth or wearieth thee when Christ at any time offers to take it from off thy shoulders Come to me and I will give you rest ver 28. Nay there is not a Gospel Sermon you heare but in some sort or other such a tender is made unto you and how few do then account their infirmities their burthen Secondly Yea you will be glad at heart but to change burthens with one that hath a lighter and easier then yours Why such is Christs if you be truly weak and wearied Mat. 11.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easie and my burthen light Thy soule will think it an happy exchange to passe from Satans plough to the Lords plough when once thou feelest the weight of Satans Chayne thou wilt esteeme the greatest of the Lords Commandements or thy duties as a chaine of gold to hang about thy neck Every neck would be willing to be so burthened From all that hath been spoken A Conclusion from the precedent truth that no soule comes home to God in the strength of its own legges to me it is easily to be concluded that there is no lost soul that ever yet was or ever shall be brought home unto God by the strength of its own leggs I shall therefore conclude the state of these qualifications according to the expresse doctrin of Lu. 15.5 The shepheard laies the lost sheep on his shoulders rejoycing that is he takes the lost sheep off its own leggs and we read of its carrying before its curing as of the Prodigals comming before his cloathing that relates to another particle as I may so say of conversion First God acts when we act not I meane in the first moment I doe not meane of the time but of the work next that acting of God makes us act together as to time Christ carryeth in the first parable and we come in the next Arminians deny the one Antinomians the other I assert both In that primely-prime act as I may call it Jesus Christ doth not cut off our legs but yet he doth not use them for he layeth us upon his shoulders And who can conceive if there be any portion of the conversion-act wherein that may be truly said that in such an act the sheep useth its own leggs when it is carryed upon the shepheards shoulders And this doth genuinely fall in with what I have spoken of the spiritual and universal weaknesse and wearinesse that must burthen us before we have advantage from the strength of Jesus Christ This sheepe had neither legge to stand on or to go with though it had all its legges still for if it had it would undoubtedly have had legs to run away with and suppose that Christ should cure us whilest we lie weak and weary upon the ground and so set us upon our own legges which blessed be God shall never be and not bind us to his owne shoulders or bring us as the Spouse to leane upon him by an union indissoluble I need no argument but sad experience to convince mine owne base heart that I should quickly use or abuse rather my cured legges and the rene●ings of strength and of refreshment unto the turning aside into the crooked paths of the wilderness still or to the running away from him that healed me But now by vertue of this union our legges gather strength as the woman that touched him drew vertue from him and now they can walke and runne they are the old legs still the same affections will and understanding c. But it is not their old strength that they move by but Christ's put into them Christ gives them his Wine to refresh them and make glad their hearts his Oyle to heale and make strong their bones his life to act and to inform their Organs And thus they that were weak in the Wildernesse and not able as Israel Ezek. 16 They that had wearied themselves with wandering and were too weary to go as the lost sheep Lu. 15. doe now come inseparably to wait upon the Lord Christ and by leaning on him to renew their strength that they may run and not be weary that they may walke and not faint Isai 40.31 And what is this precious Scripture but the summe or the Epilogue of all that I have beene speaking viz. That it is onely the weake and weary that can profitably leane and by leaning comfortably draw strength and refreshment from the Lord Christ And upon these accounts it may by the way appeare how strangely some that call themselves Ministers of the Gospel of Christ goe to work about poor soules Ministers strengthning those whom God would yet have to be made weake One comes to them that can say Sir I thank God I have had an honest heart from my Cradle I never wronged any man in my life no man can say that black is mine eye I have ever had a good mind towards heaven I use prayer often and give much Alms to the poor and your selfe can bear me witness sir that I alwaies pay you Tythes of all that I possess and am constantly at Church with you every sunday But now I grow aged or I am sick c. and I would be sure what estate I am in I pray sir what think you of my condition Why ●ruly it is the business of many mens preaching to send away such a self-justifying and so self-undoing Pharisee to hell as some

Ceremonies are gone as John to those in his time when the Gospel I believe had dispelled those grosser Egyptian darknesses 1 Joh. 5.21 Little Children keepe your selves from Idols Amen 3d. Consid Thirdly Consider what ever strength thou hast on this side the strength of Jesus Christ it is an Artichristian as well as an Idolatrous strength Your Christlesse strength is Antichristian And wilt thou hope to be saved by an Antichrist Rom. 10.3.4 The Jews going about to establish their own righteousnesse that is plainly to make their righteousnesse their strength They have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to them that believe Who sees not what I say they have not submitted If thou make thy strength thy righteousness this is very rebellion against the Lord and Antichristianitie even the setting of thy self in battel aray against the righteousnes of faith and the strength that is to be had in the Lord Jesus Christ Precious is that language of Davids Psal 21.13 Be thou exalted O Lord in thine own strength so will we sing and praise thy power Mark that if we pretend to exalt the Lord but we will do it in our own strength as Arminians in their own free-will c. When we come to the matter of praise we shall quickly confer it as I observe them to do upon our owne power and not the Lords O the noble Principles cry they of the understandings and reasons and minds of men which the scriptures whilest unregenerate call darkness and foolishness and enmitie against God and say they O that noble principle of free-will which the scriptures call an heart of stone and declare it to be to every good word and worke of it selfe Reprobate Let us arise in the might of our own principles say they c. But Let God arise and then his Enemies shall be scattered say we Yet will we also say When the Ark ariseth it is not a time for Israel to sit still It is not their working but their working in their own strength that I plead against Let me leave then this word with tender Consciences which I am not afraid of declaring as the sence of my soule unto the world although it be a sad apprehension Let a poore creature go a begging to two doors the Master of the one house takes a knife and cuts a piece of victuals and gives it as an Alms to the begger and thinks when he hath done that for this he is more in the books of God I meane as to the merit of favour and acceptance and goes away priding and pleasing his owne heart in what he hath done and concluding from the bare act that he offered to God a sacrifice such as thereby to make him his Debter And the Begger comes to an others house where another man in a passion takes a knife and cuts the poore wretches throat and by that act his own Conscience is wounded and his heart struck dead that he now comes trembling and astonished before the Lord whilest the other boasting cryes out God I thank thee I cut him bread but this man cut his throat But the murtherer cryes out The Lord be merciful c. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness O God c. I believe this Murtherer way be nearer Heaven then that Alms-giver The former hath murthered the Begger the other hath murthered the Lord Jesus Christ Our Saviour resents it thus and thus expresseth it to the face of the Pharisees Mat. 21.31 Verily I say unto you that the Publicans and the Harlots goe into the Kingdom of God before you For they believed vers 32. Those that were uncleane Harlots are saved when often-washing Hypocrites are damned Those that were oppressing Publicans are justified when Beleeving Pharisees are condemned And thus much be spoken in order to the weakening of your strength CHAP. V. Containes farther improvement by a designe to weary you notwithstanding your Christless refreshments 2ly To weary you notwithstanding all your Christlesse refreshments SEcondly I shall labour to weary your Christless soules even under any of your Christless refreshments know therefore from the Lord that these are truths and such as you shall find to be so sooner or later First That whatsoever the matter be that thou be not weary yet notwithstanding there is enough in all your wildernesse wayes and refreshments too to make you weary Secondly That this being so it is the saddest symptome in the world and of the most dangerous importance not thus to be weary First Whatsoever the reason is 1. There is enough in all your wilderness-wayes to weary you however it comes to passe you are not wearied that you are not weary there is enough in the wayes and pleasures of sinne too to weary your poore soules Surely as Noahs dove that could find no rest till it came to the Ark from whence it came so can no soul find any rest after all its wearinesse but by returning to the Lord from whom it at first departed and if the Lord be as Noah Jesus Christ is as the Ark there 's no returning to the Lord but by returning to Jesus Christ I shall evince what I am a saying Evinced from Scripture testimony reason and experience First For Scripture testimony 1. From scripture testimony The Holy Ghost tells you Isai 40.30 The youths shall be weary and the young men shall utterly faint but onely those that waite upon the Lord shall renew their strengeth The young men that are the likeliest to continue fresh or to find refreshment in the wayes of sinne even all that can be found they shall faint and utterly grow weary Thus saith God concerning Israel Thou art wearied Isai 47.13 And so Jer. 9.5 They weary themselves to commit iniquity so Ezek. 24.12 She hath wearied her selfe with lyes that is saith God they sinne till thy tyre themselves and commit iniquity unto wearinesse onely here is the sad difference As there are many humbled that are not humble so many are wearied that are not weary they are humbled indeed against their will by punishment but yet they are never the more humble so are they wearied by continued acts of sinne and 't is against their will it should be so but yet they are never the more weary of it Secondly For Scripture Reason It must needs be 2ly Scripture reason that there should be all manner of wearinesse in the wayes of the Wilderness if you consider either what you walke upon or what you sit down upon 1. Wearying wayes to travell in First All the wayes or works that are on this side Christ are very wearying The waies of the wildernesse are thorny waies as you have heard and 't is tyresome travelling upon thornes either wonder then at thine owne lethargy or dead palsie or else expresly deny that Scripture Iob 15.20 The wicked man travelleth with paine all his dayes for if thou

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 b●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 o●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

Christ I perswade my selfe in every respect will make a good Husband even a good Husband for me and that he perfectly is worthy and meet to be beloved even my Beloved Methinks I am fully convinced that I absolutely need such an Husband as Christ is to pay my debts which are great and as much need I have of such an head to live with me as a man of knowledge to reprove to convince to instruct me and even as great need also of such an head as I see Christ will be to govern mine unruly Family my heart my thoughts mine affections c. Methinks I see not in Christ any thing at all that I can spare neither can I find any thing missing in Christ that my soule can stand in need of this is the voyce of that Assent which I am speaking of And this you have at large explained Isai 45.21 22 23 24. Where by way of promise and prophesie he speakes of this very Assent I have sworne saith the Lord That unto me every tongue shall sweare 23. verse And what shall they sweare That there is no God else beside God a just God and a Saviour and that unto him they look even for salvation by him onely verses 21. and 22. Yea and surely shall one say in the Lord have I strength and righteousnesse v. 24. That is they shall be assuredly perswaded that in and onely by Jesus Christ there is strength and righteousnesss for those that look unto him that is for Believers yea for themselves in particular Therefore let me aske your soules this question Were they ever fully and satisfactorily perswaded that Jesus Christ were onely and fully such an one as you could unfeignedly make your Beloved If you answer no Why then take heed of leaning on him whilest you are of this minde If you answer yea you are so convinced that Christ is wholly and onely worthy of your affections Oh! why is it that you sit so much so wantonly I may say so whorishly in the laps of other Lovers CHAP. XII The consent described Direction how to improve this interest As also the third Consideration opening this leaning as to the Notion of the word SEcondly As an assent of the Understanding 2. A Consent so a consent of the Will is necessarily supposed unto such an interest This Consent I shall thus describe 1. Described It is a free and full act of the Will rejecting all other lovers and receiving whole Christ in his own way or upon his own terms So that as the forme of the Assent is in conceiving aright of Christ in the understanding so the forme of this Consent is the right receiving of Christ by the Will I say it is a free act of the Will for Christ wooes A free act of the will and wins the affections he ravisheth them not Indeed at first they are not onely coy but crooked He comes to his owne in this sence even his own intended and elect Lady and Spouse but she receives him not What gracious heart is there but with bitternesse remembers how many unmannerly and unworthy wayes it gave unto Jesus Christ before he brought it unto a Yea and a Amen But Christ of unwilling makes them willing and this is expressed Psa 110.2 3. The Lord by sending forth the rod of his strength maketh them a willing people in the day of his power This power of Christ by an holy force upon them in the first working of grace frees them Christs love constraines them He drawes them and it is with the Cords of a man and then their affections freely go yea They run after him so Cant 1.4 I say also a full act of the Will A full Act. because I thus judge that a divided heart never yet marryed Jesus Christ thou must not be almost but altother perswaded to be a Christian surely that Christ that will not allow one man to serve two Masters will never allow one woman to have two Husbands especially if himself must be one of them Surely herein though our affections are not perfect as to the degree yet must they be sincere as to their kind and united among themselves for therefore I call it the full act of the Will that is of the united affections A woman doth not onely marry her love but her fear her desire her delight even all her affections in their degree to her Husband In a word she engageth her will to her Husband If David had need to cry out unite my heart to fear thy name as Psal 86.11 What need have we to pray Unite our hearts to bear the name by marrying thine onely begotten Son by matching our selves unto Jesus Christ We must have but one heart for one Husband for one is our Husband even Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 Rejecting all others I say moreover rejecting all other lovers that is we must break our league with Hell and our Covenant with death Indeed had our hearts been chast and faithful before we should not need to break but onely to tye a knot Note but because of our former wanton dalliance with and engagements unto other lovers as you may with shame and sorrow see Hoseah 2.7 Therefore will the Lord Christ have us solemnly renounce and disclaime them though they will not give us a Bill of divorcement Heaken O Daughter and consider forget also thine own people and so shal the King greatly delight in thy beauty Psal 45.10 11. Farewel flesh get thee behind me Satan depart from me you workers of iniquity wantons worldlings my former lovers my former lusts for now am I married unto the Lord Jesus Christ And receiving Christ I say withall a receiving of Christ because dissent from other suiters must be seconded with Consent unto him as it is expressed Hos 2.7 Having left other lovers shee must returne to her first Husband It is not enough to think or say I am none of Satans I am not for the world I will not be for sin but I am Christs I am and through grace will continue Christs and none but Christs Is not this that which the Spouse so frequently professeth I am my beloveds and he is mine Cant. 6.3 I am my beloveds and his desire is towards me Cant. 7.10 My beloved is mine and I am his Cant. 2.16 Observe the variety and inversion I am his He is mine He is mine and I am his What is this but the marriage-match and in the truest sence the True-lovers-knot I say likewise a receiving of whole Christ Verily sirs Even whole Christ Christ is not divided The soule that will marry her Saviour must marry her Sanctifier and in marrying her Priest she must marry her Prophet if she match to one that will pay her debts she must match to one that will mannage her affairs yea and her desire shall be towards him and he shall rule over her so Psa 45.11 He is thy Lord and worship thou him You must

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

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

that all the world should not be won But the Prophet Isaiah before-hand tells us Isai 53.2 3. There is no form nor comlinesse in him when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him Againe That he is despised and rejected of men and that we hid as it were our faces from him As when he goes a woing whom some coy Gentlewoman undervalews she forsooth will not see him but chambers up and concealeth her selfe from him Thus Christ came to his owne and his owne received him not Jo. 1. So when Christ comes a woing to our carnall or naturall hearts and we see him out of the window as it were truly we hide our faces from him we do not desire to be married to him And the reason he supposeth all along that Chapter because it is Christ Crucified that goes a woing in the world I find that is in the day of his Espousals and not when he goes a woing that Jesus Christ puts on his Crown Cant. 3.11 It is Christ Crowned that marries but it is Christ Crucified that woes 1. Cor. 2.2 I determined to know nothing among you being an Apostle a Paranymph a Spokesman amongst you for Christ but Jesus Christ and him crucified Sirs If you can not find in your hearts to love a crucified Christ I dare not goe a wooing for Christ under any other Notion We preach Christ crucified 1 Cor. 1.23 and therefore to one a stumbling block to another foolishnesse and this being supposed that it is a Crucified Christ that goes a wooing in the world truly never was any suiter more universally undervalued by the proudest Dame then Jesus is by carnall hearts for they neither like his Port nor Person nor Discourse nor Carriage nor Estate 1. Few like Christs woing Port. 1. Ca●nall hearts are prejudiced at the Port of Jesus Christ when he goes a woing in the world When a Nobl●man comes a wooing to some great personage in the World notice is taken of the Port that he comes in what Chariots come with him what Geldings what Servants what Retayners If a man should come a wooing to a great Lady upon the back of an Ass or with a beggerly retinue were not this one thing enough to hinder all hopes of a match Now such is the pleasure of the Lord Jesus Christ that such shall his wooing Port such shall his Retayners be Instead of Coach or Sedan or led Horses or Chariots Christ rides a woing on the Foal of an Ass the foolishness of preaching see Zach. 9.9 Rejoyce O Daughter of Sion shout O daughter of Jerusalem behold thy King commeth unto thee lowly and riding upon an Asse and upon a Colt the Foal of an Asse And if you will have the mystery unfolded 't is this It pleaseth Christ whilest he passeth by the enticing words of mans wisdome and the pompous port of humane Oratory by the foolishnesse that is the plainnesse of preaching to wooe and to win soules unto himselfe 1 Cor. 1.12 and this is the preaching of Christ Crucified in a Crucified style to the Iews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishnesse vers 23. Hence it is that the wise the Scribes the Doctors the Disputers of this world dash and stumble upon Christ instead of leaning upon him because Christ is preached as Crucified and so evidently by plain preaching set forth as Crucified amongst us Gal. 3.1 Note I have observed but two dumb beasts whose mouthes were opend in the Scriptures One by Satan the other by the Lord Satan he makes use of the mouth of the Serpent the subtilest Gen. 3.1 God he makes use of the mouth of the Asse the simplest Numb 22.38 The Lord opened the mouth of Balaams Asse If you would chuse a Speaker you usually pitch upon the most eloquent but God often speaks by the Stammerer and out of the mouths of Babes and weaklings ordaineth his praise and by such spokesmen wooes home most souls many time to Jesus Christ Againe Instead of P●inces and Rulers Christ brings his poor kindred and despised spokesmen with him and chief Captaines and Counsellors of the world for his Companions He chooseth to beare him company even in the view of the world and when he goes a woing not many wise not many Nobles 1 Cor. 1.26 But he hath chosen the poore of this world that they may be rich in faith and so beare him company though ragged in Cloathes Iam. 2.5 Fishermen Magdalens Lazars and these when they keep his sayings must be accounted his Mother and kinsfolk and Brethren Mark 3.35 Now even we our selves account her unworthy of a rich Husband who cannot find in her heart to acknowledge his poor kindred I have heard a Gentlewoman should say and I feare too many say so in their hearts that if it were not for Christs followers she could be content to follow Christ Ah! if it were not for Christs great Charge of Children and poore kindred many perhaps would looke towards him more then doe But if you be ashamed of them know that Christ will be ashamed of you I was naked saith Christ in my little ones and you cloathed me not hungry and you fed me not depart from me Mat. 25.41 42 43. 2ly Few like his person 2ly Carnal hearts are prejudiced at Christs person when he goes a wooing in the world Sirs I am sent to woe you to Christ but it is unto him crucified and consequently for His Rayment either he is naked they rent his Coat asunder and cast lots upon his Garments as Mat. 27.35 or clad with Garments dyed in the Wine-presse and red in his Apparel Isai 63.1 2 3. viz. Vestures dipt in his owne blood Rev. 19.1.3 which one would thinke were enough to frighten from Christ in stead of wooing to him And as for His Countenance 't is marred more then any mans and his form more then the Sons of men Isai 52.14 His Face instead of being washed with sweet waters as wooers wont to do is spit upon and instead of shaving is given to those that pulled off the hair Isai 50 6. As for His Head 't is Crown'd indeed but it is with rending Thorns Mat. 27.29 As for His Back 't is new-come as it were from the whipping-post and whealed with scornfull stripes of mercilesse men For he gave his back to the smiters Isai 50.6 As for His sides They are launced with Speares Jo. 19.34 And behold a mingled stream of water and blood As for His hands and feet they also are pierced as he himself recordeth Psal 22.16 Now friends can you find in your hearts as Joseph of Arimathea did Mat. 27.57 to make much of Christ in such a posture thus used thus abused if you cannot it is in vaine to perswade you to marry the Lord Jesus Christ therefore stand you by also 3ly 3ly Few like his woing discourse in general viz. Conviction Carnall hearts are as much prejudiced at Christs wooing discourse

its Keeper and now it will leane to Christs counsell and to his advice and to his prescriptions because it is sick of its own There is a Twofold spirituall sicknesse that will bring a soule to need Christ as a leaning stock First A sicknesse of hatred unto sin 1. Sick of hatred to sin for it is not every sicknesse that will make you need this Physitian Many are sick for sin I meane as the punishment of sinne for this cause we may say as Paul 1 Cor. 11.30 say indeed that many are sick but there are but few sick of sin But where-ever there is a Sin-sicknesse there cannot but be a provocation to vomiting David cannot hold till he brings up all Sinne lies upon a sick Conscience as undigested Meat upon a sick stomack You know also that where ever there is a propension to vomit there is a great desire of somewhat to lean upon Oh! what would a sin-sick soule that cannot possibly be well untill it hath by broken hearted confessions vomited up its iniquities give that it had freedome to leane its head in Christs bosome so Psal 32.3 While I kept silence my bones waxed old c. therefore ver 5. I said I will confesse my transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest c. and vers 6. For this cause shall every one that is godly pray unto thee As who would say when I was so sin-sick that I knew not what to doe I did but leane my head in the Lords bosome and bring it up again and I had so much ease to my soul that I would advise every troubled heart to lean where I lean'd and to doe what I did 2ly Sick of love to Christ Secondly A Love-sicknesse unto Jesus Christ Many are also Love-sick but as Amnon for his sister for a lust or for a corruption but few are sick for Christ The language of Love-sicknesse is such as this I must have him or else I dye Give me Christ or none will content me Thus those passionate breakings forth of the Spouse Love is stronger then death Mine heart failed when he spake I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem if you find my beloved that you tell him that I am sick of love Cant. 5.8 Now this Love-sick Spouse will be sure to be a leaning Spouse she sinks she swoones she dyes away if Christ doe not come unto her Cant. 2.5 6. Stay me comfort me for I am sick of love His left hand is under my head his right hand doth embrace me O! how doth a poore stomack sick Creature desire to hold and to be held when it is ready to swoon away 2ly By becomming a shaken soule So then 't is a sad signe that you are neither sick of hatred unto sin nor of love unto Christ when you see little need of leaning upon him Secondly Labour th●● that are a lost soul to get into a shaken posture that is the way to get into a leanin posture What 's the reason there 's so little catching hold upon Christ by worldly men in their time of health Oh! it is because there is little shaking of worldly things in that time but now Isai 2.20 21. They shall one day cast away their Idols of Gold and Silver which they have made each one for himselfe that they may run into the clefts of the Rock when God ariseth to shake terribly the Earth Oh! you see by frequent experience in poore dying Worldlings when God shakes their Earth how solicitous they are then to take hold if they durst on the God of Heaven When they see by these shakings what slender supports their golden Gods and silver shrines are to leane upon oh then what would they give for Jesus Christ for to be their soules leaning stock You read Act. 4.31 That the place was shaken where they met before God sent out upon them the Holy Ghost to speak the word of God with boldness So this is the manner of his working to shake soules before he powre out upon them the Spirit of believing to apply the promise of God with boldnesse Thus did the Lord take Iob by the neck when he was at ease and shook him to pieces so saith himselfe Iob. 16.12 Now when God hath shaken our comforts and enjoyments in the world and scattered our duties that they appeare broken poor crazy things when he hath shaken to pieces our righteousnesse and all our selfe-supports then sirs then if ever will Christ appeare desirable unto us oh then shall we long to leane upon him Memorable is that passage Hab. 3.17 When I heard my belly trembled my lips quivered at the voice rottenness entred into my bones and I trembled in my selfe that I might rest in the day of trouble Here 's strange shaking and as strange establishment I trembled that I might rest The more shaking at first the stronger leaning afterwards for verily Note though God doth not shake all souls alike before he make them leane upon himselfe yet have I observed that the lesse the heart hath beene shaken in the first stirrings of grace the more feeble have the leanings been perhaps many yeares afterward and the more easiely interrupted and disturbed Nay though the Lord hath opened some hearts as Lydias without much manifest shaking at the first yet have I known many even sincere soules of them kept almost in an every day Ague almost all their lives after their Conversion I mean in continuall spirituall shakings Therefore if God hath shaken thee be not angry but as soon as thou canst catch hold upon Christ and leane hard for else I le tell you when we are greatly shaken we may continue in great danger of falling if we have not an Anchor of hope to take hold on a Pillar of Christs Chariot to leane upon 3ly By becomming a sinking soule Thirdly Labour thou that art a lost soul to get into a sinking posture that is the way to get into a leaning posture This perhaps you will say is strange but this I know to be true Mat. 14.30 Peter beginning to sink cryed Lord save me Oh! sinking souls will be sure to catch hold if it be possible and nothing shall discourage them though Christ should cut their fingers yet will they hold rather then drowne such a soule will take hold of Christ upon the most cutting termes of the Gospell A Boat a Boat a Boat all that I am worth in the world for a Boat saith a sinking person and will never leave looking and crying and catching as long as it can either keepe hand or head above water Thus David Psal 69.1 2. Save me O God I am come into the deep I sink in deep water where no standing is And he is at it againe verse 14. Deliver me least I sinke Sirs none can imagine but those that have felt how welcome a Leaning stock Christ is unto a soule in such a sinking condition but you who have sounded the deepes of

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

sing and say Who is this that comes out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved but of others we may take up a lamentation a Jeremies sad song and say Who are all these that go farther and farther into the wilderness leaning upon their beloveds And as for those that goe downe into Aegypt they have multitudes of Reeds to leane upon many Gods and Lords many even as many as lusts Onyons Fleshpots Melons Cucumers Idols any thing but when God calls his Sonnes out of Aegypt then thus saith the Lord that brought thee out of the Land of Aegypt c. thou shalt have none other Gods beside me Many hands we may have to help us forward or backward rather into the wayes of sinne But there 's not one arme for a soule to leane unto while it comes from sinne but the alone arm of the Lord Jesus Christ Now as we say the more of those Gods the farther from God so the more of these leaning-stocks the farther from leaning upon the Lord Jesus The four usuall leaning-stocks of lost soules There are particularly foure things which lost soules doe generally more love and leane upon then Jesus Christ Sinne Satan the World and selfe And it is to be marked that scriptures charge our usuall carriage towards and in respect of these with Idolatry which is the setting of any thing up in Gods roome to love or lean upon as God which is not God 1. Sinne. First As for sin It is hence evident that sinners place that recumbency on it which they should on Christ because the Apostle enumerating the more notorious sinnes of their unregeneracy summes up all in this one word abominable Idolatries what were those why Lasciviousness lusts excess of Wine revellings drunkenness and abominable Idolatries Wines are the Drunkards Idols Women the Wantons Idols Prophaneness the Revellers Idol Yea every new lust a new Lord yea a new God as hee takes up new sin he hath new dependances upon sinne 1 Pet. 4.3 Hence John writing to those that 't is to be thought were farre enough from gross Idolatry concludes Little Children keepe your selves from Idols Amen 1 Joh. 5.21 Now you can never keepe your selves from Idols except you keepe your selves from sin Sinne ever deales as Solomons strange wives tempting first from the trusting in the true God and next to trusting in the false 2. Satan Secondly As for Satan You have heard him call'd the God of this world 2 Cor. 4.4 Therefore this world leanes upon Satan and trusts in him as their God 3. The world Thirdly As for the World 'T is plainly that which the worldling leans upon instead of God Hence those known passages Ephe. 5.5 The covetous man who is an Idolater and Col. 3.5 Covetousnesse which is Idolatry c. That is he loves and leanes upon Mammon more then God Fourthly As for Selfe The selfe-pleaser 4. Selfe that indulgeth his owne lustfull genius his belly is his God Phil. 3.19 The self-conceited self-confident and presumptuous sinner He sets his heart as the heart of God Ezek. 28.6 Strange expressions you will say yet are they Scripture-expressions you see they be and though many things be imported by them yet must this be a chiefe one that while Saints lean on Christ as their one and only Lord these leane upon Sin Satan Mamnon and themselves Of these in their order First Hinderance that doth in a positive way keepe off sinners from leaning upon Christ 1. Soules lean upon sin and thereby are hindred from leaning upon Christ Proofe of it is their leaning upon sin for proof See Psal 52.7 This is the man that made not God his trust but strengthned himself in his wickednesse What could be more expresse for both sinners make their wickednesse their stay and therefore it is that they make not God their staie so Isai 30.12 You trust in oppression and perversnesse and staie thereon It followes verse 15. Thus saith the Lord in returning and rest you shall be saved but ye would not and in quietnesse and confidence that is in the peace of believing shall be your strength and ye would not No no they could have both a stay and a strength in sinning and therefore they would none of Christs rest in the way of repenting or of his quietnesse and peace in the way of believing 'T is no wonder if sinners can have Crutches in a sinne that they neglect to seeke legges in a Saviour Now that sinners make sinne their leaning-stock Convictions of it 1. The careful hold that sinners keep of sinne I shall give you a two-fold Conviction 1. The charie and carefull and cordiall hold that they keep of sin Just as a lame man holds his Crutch so doth a sinner his sinne The head of it is bolstered and how neare is it to his heart There art that spiritually sow pillowes under their own and others arm-holes for wretched limping sinners to lean upon Ezek. 13.18 The lame man holds his Crutch fast in his right hand and will not by any means let it go as you may see the Lord was Davids leaning-stay for saith David I have set the Lord at my right hand therefore I shall not be moved Psal 16.8 and that Christ was the Spouses leaning-stay for she held and would not let him go Cant. 3.4 And the Apostle requires the Saints to hold that fast by which they may hold Christ fast viz. Holy confidence and the rejoycing of hope Heb. 3.6 By which is evinced that Christ and nothing else is the Saints leaning-stock So sinners have their lies in their right hand Isai 44.20 And they hold fast deceit and refuse to return Jer. 8.5 And this is a full Conviction your Consciences beare witnesse unto it that sinne is the sinners leaning-stock or that in the Prophets language The wicked trust in their wickednesse Isai 47.10 It is strange that a man should dare to sinne and then to trust in sin but oh that it were not more true 2ly In that they think that if their sinne fall they fall also 2ly In this it is too too manifest that sinne is the sinners leaning-stock in that the sinner thinkes that if his sin fall he shall fall too The reason which makes lame persons so loath to let their Crutches fall is because they know that then they shall fall too Did they not leane upon them whilest they stand they would not be affraid of falling with them when they fall Verily sirs If your Consciences beare you this witnesse that the reason why you doe not let your sinfull Alehouse-maintaining or Alehouse-keeping or Cheating fall is because you think that then you shall fall also 't is a plaine Conviction that your sin is your leaning-stock That of Diana's silver-smiths is a pregnant instance 't was a wicked craft that they had and an hellish gain that they made viz. by making instruments of abominable Idolatrie to that cursed vanity of the Ephesians Now they

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

their service to thee But when you shall be under the greatest want of help Then comes that cutting Question to bee stated against thee Luk. 12.20 then whose shall those things be That is if they were thine before they shall not now be thine when thou most needest some support But lean unto the Lord who is a present help in the time of trouble yea a very present help therefore let him be thy present refuge and thy very strength as Psa 46.1 Remember thine owne Experiences and trust in him yea what thy Fathers have said unto thee Psa 22.4 5. Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted 2. Leaning on them will break their shoulders and so they will lose the little strength they would otherwise have and thou didst deliver them They cryed unto thee and were delivered they trusted in thee and were not confounded Secondly That proportion of strength that the Lord hath given unto any Creature to serve thee thou takest the most certain and ready course to despoyle it off if thou designest that it should support thee The Lord intended that these should in their degree bee thy comforts but never that they should be thy Confidences Ier. 48.7 Because thou trustedst in thy works and Treasures thou shalt be taken and the shall go into Captivity You may use them and still hold them but if you trust in them you sink them Of all things nothing is more serviceable to man then Bread and Water yet if you make bread the staffe of your life and doe not make God the staffe of your Bread the Lord threatens as Isa 3.1 That he will take away the stay and the staffe the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water He doth not say hee will take away the bread and water but the stay of them which he may do though he leave them with you You may eat as Pharoahs lean kine the fat and yet be never the more nourished untill you come to know that Man lives not by bread alone but by the word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Mat. 4.4 Note Sirs of all things that I know in the World I know none so heavy and weighty as sin and faith Sin is such a weight that would sink the whole Creation to hell and ruine did not God as well as Man undertake to bear the burthen of it Faith is such a weight that if it be not objected upon the Creator it can not but sink the most Potent Creature What is it that hath sunk so many Popular men and Eminent instruments in the Common-wealth but that they have beene the Common confidence Lean upon Parliaments Armies or Navies though the best accomplished and most hopefull in the World and you presently break their shoulders There 's not a readier way in the World to sinke the Minister in his abilities gifts or successe yea to sink his life also into the grave then to lean upon him Set thine heart upon thy wife thy friend thy child if thou wouldst fain love them to death and kill them with kindnesse If thou hast a desire to break thine Estate to pieces then set thine heart upon thy Riches This I have found and search thou it and know it for thy good That I have never been so near the grant or continuance of any of these enjoments as when the Lord hath brought mine heart to a kind I say not of listlesse carelesse but of yielding indifferency Lean thou not upon any of these things which are but Reeds lest the harder thou hold the sooner they break and the heavier thy fall be I have seen an heavy lad slide lightly over an Ice when a lesse weight hath broken it by pressing hard upon it Worldly places as you heard are slippery or Icy places and therefore take the Apostles Counsell 1 Cor. 7.29 30. Let those that have wives be as if they had none and those that buy as if they possessed not and they that use the world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away 3. If you make them your Crutches God will make these Crurches your fire-brands Thirdly If you make them your Crutches God will make these Crutches your fire-brands Isa 30.3 The strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame and the trust in the shaddow of Aegypt your Confusion Because you have had and have trusted for it is not the bare having that shall be thus punished unto your own good things here therefore shall you be tormented Luk. 16.25 and your Gold and Silver shall eat your flesh as fire Ja. 5.3 And that which you have called strong and made your strength shall be as tow and you the makers of it as a spark and you shall both burn together and none shall quench you Isa 1.31 Conclusion I have been the longer speaking to this last particular because I find not onely that this is the great sin of our times but even of Gods own people They dare not make Covenants plainly with hell yet dare they confederate with Earth and they that dare not lean to sinfull supports yet are they not so shie of carnall Confidences Even gracious Josiah leans to Garchemish though hee die for it 2 Chron. 35. and good Asah relies on the King of Syria 2 Chron. 16.7 rather then on the Lord and in his his disease seeks and trusts unto Physitians rather then the Lord. ver 12. But yet so far forth as the soul is Married unto the Lord 'T is a widdow to the world and so farre as it is a Widdow indeed it will be desolate that is as in a Wildernesse in it selfe and therefore trusting in the Lord 1 Tim. 5.5 CHAP. XXV Containes the improvement of the whole by way of Exhortation and Direction how to improve Christ as the onely Guide ANd thus have I done with the Obstructions Privative and Positive having endeavoured to hinder them from hindring leaning upon Christ There remaines but one Question the Resolution whereof let it serve as the Application of the whole The fifth and last Question is 5th Quest What advantage is to be had for lost sinners by leaning on Jesus Christ What advantage a lost or bewildred sinner may attaine as to its spirituall Estate by leaning on this beloved Even as much as heart can wish The soule that takes hold on Christ takes hold on the Way the soule that leanes upon Christ leanes upon the Guide that goes to God and leanes to Canaan and therefore that soule shall never perish in the Wildernesse Now therefore for APPLICATION Application Is it so that sin is a Wildernesse that a sinfull Estate is a bewildred Estate that it is the soules great businesse and onely needful concernment to come up from this Wildernesse and that there is no comming up but by leaning upon the Lord Jesus Oh! Exhortation If Christ be a guide to leane upon him If Christ be a way to walke in him then

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