conceive seed Thou hast been so long barren that thou art affraid thou shalt never be able to conceive the incorruptible seed of the word of God either as to the bringing forth of Grace or Comfort in thy soule by faith thou maist have strength to receive bâ—th 1. Their Graces 1. Faith will afford strength to receive Grace whether as to Mortification or Vivificattion i. Mortifying Grace 1. Mortifying or subduing grace Wouldst thou have the strong man out of doors thy pride thy passion the vanitie of thy thoughts thy lusts of uncleannesse thy worldly lusts c. removed thou hast no way but to make Christ thy strength who is stronger then these and so to call in the Auxiliaries of heaven had David gone out in Sauls Armour undoubtedly Goliath had made him a prey but David went out in the name of the Lord Thus leane thou on the Lord Christ and then what though it be an uncircumcised corruption Note a Giant-like lust that thou contendest with The grand cause that some doe sincerely yet insuccesfully warre with those worldly lusts that war against their souls may be ignorance hereof or neglect herein Luk. 11.21 The strong man will keep his house till a stronger comes Corruption that is strong will keep thine heart till a Christ that is stronger comes It followes He that is not with me is against me and he that gathers not with me scatters verse 23. As I said of your Christlesse strength 't is Antichristian so here to War without Christ is in some sort to War against Christ and to think to gaine ground of thy sinnes in thine own strength is the way to be a loser a â—â—sterer though this vers I know hath another intendment yet is this certaine if Christ be with you as he will be whilst you be with him 2 Chron. 15.2 You shall carry the day and divide the spoyle he that spoyleth Principalities for you can vanquish sin in you Where this Josuah is Generall the field cannot be lost he that brought up the Israelites conquers the Canaanites neither can you be conquerors but through Christ Rom. 8.37 2ly Lean on Christ for Vivifying and renewing grace This is that Law of the spirit of life which in Christ makes free as you heard in the last from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 as who should say Vivifying or quickning Grace let there be what there can or what there will be in any soul unlesse there be the law of that spirit of life in Christ Jesus there can not be any 〈◊〉 of grace there Christ is the strength of your quickning grace and that 1. As to the root and life and habit of it 1. Of the root of it I meane grace in the soule Rom. 8.10 If Christ be in you the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse No life or principle or habite of righteousnesse which is here to be expoundâ—d by Sanctification can possibly be in you if Christ be not the strength of it in you 2. The fruits of it 2ly As to the fruit act and exercise of this root life and habit of Grace Io. 15.4 Abide in me saith Christ and I in you for as the branch cannot bring forth fruit of it selfe except it abide in the Vine no more can you except you abide in me The strength of the branch is not able to bring forth fruit but it is the strength of the Vine the branch is not able saith Christ but the Vine is able so the strength of thine habit of grace is not able to exercise or bring forth fruit unto holinesse but it is the strength of Christ for that grace which is said to be in thee and unto thee as a root is in and unto Christ but as a branch Christ is the Vine still the branch as that which immediately feeds it may in some sort be called the root of the fruit but in proper speech 't is onely the root of the Vine that is the root both of branch and fruit and the strength of the Vine is the strength both of the branch and fruit and if their in being or dependance on the Vine were but a little interrupted you should quckly see it truly so it is with Christ both as to the habit and exercise the branch and fruit of thy graces for saith Christ in the 5. verse Without me you can do nothing Mark do nothing Suppose a branch yet could there be no fruit suppose a life yet could there be no action but now oppose this phrase or compose it rather unto that of Pauls Phil. 3.13 where from occasion of the exercise of the grace of Contentation he digresseth to a generall boasting but in the Lord as to all the fruits of holinesse I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me so that all the out-goings of our graces are and must be only in the strength of Jesus Christ 2ly Of all your comforts 2ly Leane upon Christ as the onely strength of all your comforts You have mention in Scripture of strong consolation as well as of strong grace Heb. 6.18 That we might have strong consolation We Who why we who have fled for a refuge to the anchor that is before us and have taken hold That anchor is hope that whereupon that anchor catcheth hold is Jesus the fore-runner ver 20. No strength of comfort else-where 1. Your foundation-comfort viz. Iustification 1. Christ as the strength of your foundation-comfort I meane Justification is to be leaned upon If you be justified it must be by faith by leaning and if you have peace with God and there be any strength in that peace it must be through Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 The Hebrew Idiom puts often one substantive with another when in sence it is an adjective So in that passage Isai 45.24 One shall say surely in the Lord I have righteousnesse and strength that is strong righteousness Others may have a righteousnesse as the Pharisees c. that have not Christ but there is no more strength in it to comfort then there is in a few sparks to warm or to enlighten Isai 50.11 But they that lean on Christ for a righteousnesse have strength of righteousness 2ly 2ly All yoâ— upper comfor Leane on Christ as the bottom strength of all your upper comforts such as come in upon the account of your justification If Christ will to purpose strengthen the hearts of his Disciples as to comfort he must tell them as he doth Jo. 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you What ever else he either leaves them or sends them they will still be comfortlesse unlesse he comes to them Miserable Comforters are Creatures to us when Christ keeps at a distance from us Comforts they may be and weak ones too as Christless righteousness hath no more substance in 't to hold out the light of comfort then a few sparks so Christless Comforts have no
a distressed As to the 2d Hinderance Help the second distracted Conscience can beare witnesse Secondly As to the second Hindeoance viz. Few feel Christ and therefore few will leane upon him I shall leave a word or two with you to help your souls in this also First If you be desirous to feele Christ Labour to feel Christ by feeling sin labour to feel sin I believe never did any come savingly to feel Christ that have not come seriously to feel sin You never knew a soule earnestly complain for a Christ that could not earnestly complain of sinne When Christs own spirit is sent forth into our dead benummed Consciences and sencelesse hearts how doth it make us feel righteousnesse but by making us feel sin and judgement the sence of all must goe together where Gods Spirit is indeed at worke Jo. 16.8 Sirs how can we be sensible of the good of light of peace of health of plenty better then by feeling the evill of darknesse warre sicknesse poverty or the light peace or saving health that is by Jesus Christ more effectually then by the darknesse horrour and damning misery of sinne I mean when we see one by the other Isai 54.5 6. 'T is a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit in the remembrance and sence of sinne the shame and the reproach of sinne as is intimated vers 4. I say a woman thus grieved in spirit that God will call a wife of youth unto himselfe and her maker will become her Husband that is Christ will take that soule into the nearest intimacy with himselfe to lie as a wife of youth in his bosome to feele his stripes to put its hand into the wounds of his sides to feel the stirrings of his heart towards sinners that have had the nearest and closest sence of sin that have laine and can most feeling groan under the heavy load and burthen of sin Many there are that speake of the evill of sin but not feelingly and as for these if they speake of the good of Christ you may easily discerne 't is not feelingly When Paul feels sin kill him Rom. 7.9 And as a stinking troublesome tyring dead Carkass cleaving to him ver 24. 2ly By conversing much where Christ is to be found viz. in the Ordinances with the promises Then presently comes he to feele the law of the Spirit of life in Christ making him free from the law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Secondly Would you feel Christ make then after his hand and after his heart Get you thither where these are to be found and keep you there Now Christs hand is in his Ordinances And Christs heart is in his promises There if any where there and no other where feele for them and you shall finde them How often doe you read in Scripture that Christs hands are stretched forth in his Ordinances if you have not done so You may feele Christs hands in his Ordinances turn to Isai 65.1 2. I said behold me behold me I have spread out my hands all the day and how is that but in the Ordinances unto a rebellious people which walked in a way that was not good This is otherwise expressed by his desire to gather them under his wings Luk. 13 34. Sirs would you feele for Christs Hand to leane upon or his wing to be sheltred under Be much in the Ordinances And Christs heart in his promises Againe Christs heart is in his promises Could you but get into the heart of a promise it would be like Thomas his putting of his hands into Christs sides you might feele Christs heart and how it works towards poor soules What living heart can survey the Promises without a lively sence of Christs hearts tendernesse Sirs doe you not feele how his bowels are turned and his repentings kindled within him when he saith not onely how shall I give thee up Ephraim as Hos 11.8 but also I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim as he saith verse 9. And I will heale their backslydings and I will love them freely chap. 14.4 And I might transcribe a great part of the whole Bible to lead you to a sence of all those promises that plainly lead the Generation of them that seeke the face of Jacob to a sence of Christs heart though now himselfe be at rest towards poore Israel in the Wildernesse CHAP. XVI Convincing Christs lovelinesse by removing the foregoing prejudices THirdly As to the third Hinderance viz. As to the 3d. Hinderance Helpfull considerations convincing Christs lovelinesse notwithstanding any prejudices 1. Against his Port. 1. It is not of necessity but choice that his Port is so mean That few like Christ so as to make him their beloved being prejudiced against his Port Person Discourse Carriage Estate Consider 1. As to Christs wooing Port these three things For my now designe is to remove the prejudices and if it be possible to make up the match and though I woe yet will I not lye for God nor for his Son Christ Though Christ come a wooing in Port despised by the World on the Colt of an Asse the foolishnesse of preaching yet is it not of constraint but of condescension and with a rich compensation First It is let the world know not of constraint or necessity that Christ comes in so mean a Port. He could if he would come so as to convince you hereof but it is of choice that he comes so meanly I have read of one of the Roman Emperours that having been long molested by the King of an eastern Country having at length an Embassy sent him by some contemptible Messengers yet the noblest that that Country afforded the Roman Emperour thinking it were in slight asked them if their Master had none more Heroicall then they they answering they were his Chieftains he brake out in such an immoderate laughter that he dyed in it The Great and Wise and Nobles of the World thus deride the Messengers of Jesus Christ and him that sent them because of the meannesse of the Messengers But let them know that as he laughed himself to death in laughing them to scorn so may these laugh themselves to damnation before they are aware and as for us Call they us and count they us as they please Priest and croaking Calvinists and what they will yet may not we answer that our Master hath none more noble to send or that he cannot come in greater Port for Psal 18.9 10. He bowed the Heavens and came downe and darknesse was under his feet And he rode upon a Cherub and did flie yea he did fly upon the wings of the wind so Isai 19.1 Behold the Lord rideth upon a swift Cloud And this might be his Port. So might Angels also be his Messengers 1.7 Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers flaming fire Christ could goe a wooing in a whirlwind as the Lord came to answer Job Iob. 38.1
away with their dissimulation v. 13. Querie But you will say How shall I doe to know Satans voice from Peters since it seemes Satan can speake in Peter or how shall I do to walk in the waies of Peter as a Saint and to keep out of his paths so far forth as sinfull I answer by looking beyond all Solution unto that guidance which is one and which is above all Thou maist and must set the cloud of witnesses before thee and follow them but thine eye must still be fixt upon the first guide Heb. 12.1 2. Seeing we are compassed about with a Cloud of witnesses let us run with patience the race that is set before us verse 1. Looking to Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith verse 2. Thus Paul saith of those 1 Thes 1.6 Ye became followers of us and of the Lord. It s good following of the Saints when in them thou see'st that thou followest the King of Saints Paul desires godly persons or Ministers may desire no more but that you should follow them so far as they follow Christ Oh that the Saints would exceedingly feare sinning upon this accoune Perhaps the wicked sees thy sinning that never sees thy sorrowing and if God in mercy bring thee out of the Wildernesse yet maist thou leave â—y thine ensample another there irrecoverably who though he found thy way in yet will never be able to find thy way out again but there must perish to all eternity 6ly The next meanes of Satans improvement to bewilder is 6th Guidance Mistaken duties to bewilder us in our duty by the prompting guidance of another duty to lead us out of our now-duty Oh! 't is very dangerous when 't is our duty as we mistake it that becomes a false guidance to us Untimousnesse may unduty our duty Psa 137.4 The Lords songs are not at all times to be song Now its Satans policy when he cannot break us from the duty then to divert and disturbe us from the time But Solomon tells us That God hath appointed a season for all things to rejoyce Note and to mourn c. To every purpose there 's a season Eccles 3.1 Now that may be thy duty to day which would be thy sinne another time and it must needs be so because the whole nature of some duties lyeth in reference to the season so that when the Season ceaseth the duty ceaseth to be then our duty yea that which was duty because of that season becomes sinne because of this as for instance many civill duties at some season and upon some occasions It is meet that we should make merry Luk. 15.32 And it is better to go to the house of mourning at another season and upon another occasion Eccel 7.2 Yea in Religious Duties too on these I shall insist because its Satans great businesse herein and hereby to bewilder us I shall for instance pitch upon our two great and solemne occasionall duties Humiliation and Thansgiving although some proportion of these are as blood and water that runne through all our veynes and must runne through all our spirituall exercises Instance you shall too often find 1. That when God calls us to soul-humbling our spirits are for rejoycing and refreshing for this God challengeth Israel Isa 58.3 In the day of your fast you find pleasure 2ly When God calls us to soul-rejoycing our Spirits are then for soul-humbling This God reproveth also in the same people at another time Nehem. 8.9 This day is holy to the Lord weep not neither mourn for all the people wept and verse 10. Goe your way eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions c. neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength verse 10. Now Satan hath great advantage hereunto through our ignorance for surely the the people thought they did dwell in weeping Why 't was for their sinnes when they heard the Law read 't was for offending God that they wept could this at any time be unseasonable Yes that measure of it now was and to bee reproved as Nehemiah and Ezrah did And thus doth Satan by the guidance of some other mistaken duty turne us aside from that frame of spirit that wee ought to have in the present duty When God bids them mourne they find pleasure when he cals them to find pleasure and to rejoyce before him Note they mourn bitterly Thou maist be affectionate in a sin thinking it verily to be a dutie Querie But now here lies the difficulty Psal 2.11 We are commanded to rejoyce with trembling how then can Satan be said to leade us out of the way by the one from the other when both together are our duty and if so how could Israel be reproved for their mourning in the day of their rejoycing since rejoycing is not as it should be without trembling nor by the same Rule and Scripture must trembling be without rejoycing rejoyce with your trembling Ans I answer I apprehend it true that there must be something of an Humiliation day in every Thansgiving if rightly managed and something of a Thansgiving in every soul-afflicting day else may wee mourne our selves into despaire or joy our selves into presumption Surely there 's no contrariety in Christian duty therefore two different duties may be incumbent on the same subject at the same time and one frame of spirit made up of both fit for either but withall the duty of the day must as we say carry the day or else we sinne In a Thanksgiving day we must rejoyce with trembling in an Humiliation we must tremble with rejoycing Now Satans businesse is to transport us beyond due bounds by poysing our spirits most unto that whereof should be least as was clear in those instances and is too often in our expriences and so to bewilder us in duty by duty If you 'l aske how much must there then be of trembling in our holy Feasts or of rejoycing in our Fasts I answer just so much as makes us fitter for the due management of the present duty A little of spiriuall joy gives advantage as your experiences can speak unto the due guidance of godly sorrow And a little trembling rightly attempers holy rejoycing and whatsoever is more then thus commeth of evill Now Satans businesse is to make us lose our sorrowes in rejoycing or our joy in sorrowes and our selves into both and ever most of that whereof the present day and duty calls for least and thus may not onely a Felix want a convenient season but you Saints may find it difficult to redeeme a season for soule-searching from prayer or for resolving upon Reformation afterward in a serious sort from soul-searching You may enlarge it in other instances as his bewildring our Meditations by enclining us then to pray or to break us off from prayer by injecting usefull Meditations as formerly I have hinted and the like to these CHAP. XVI Containes two last bewildring Guides seeming
men by running into a wilderness think to avoid merciless men and they fall among merciless beasts so in sin they think by drinking or whoring or swearing away conscience or the like to avoid an angry conscience and alass fall among Lions the roaring Lion on the one hand the sin-revenging Lion of the tribe of Judah on the other and so come to be torn to pieces The yong man thinks to scape the good man Prov. 7.19 bur yet is cast down and slain by the woman the woman sin chap. 26. I finde a precious Scripture Cant. 4.8 Come with me from Lebanon my spouse with me from Lebanon look from the top of Amanah from the top of Shenir and Hermon from the Lions den and from the mountains of the Leopards It s the call of the soul by Christ when the soul is upon the pinacle of temptation it looks upon sin and thinks it the most pleasant thing in the world like Lebanon like Hermon and Shenir which among the Hebrews were like the Baiae the pleasâ—ntest of all pleasant places but Christ gives it another Character then she thought of Oh! saith he Though you take them to be thus pleasant yet let me assure you the Lions den and the mountains of the Leopards are there And suppose I pray you a man were in a paradise as the case is now with us Oh! how would a Lions den or a Leopards mountain dash to pieces all thoughts of pleasures and security And therefore by way of Application If sin be thus like a wilderness promising pleasure Application producing pain promising security whilest it stirs up Lions Oh then First Look off of sin least it tempt Cant. 4 8. Vse 1 fore-quoted look from Shenir look from the top of Hermon Look off of the wilderness of sin do nor too much loook upon it because it looks so like a Lebanon Oh! that men could be perswaded to look off from sin when sin looks upon them there can no good Pro. 4.25 26. but much evil proceed from wanton and unwarrantable feeding of the eye with sin Be not so foolish as to be deceived to serve lusts counting Vse 2 them pleasures Secondly Never believe sin as long as you live Never believe sin when it flatters The wilderness is a lie fair without thorns within Psalm 4.2 How long will you love vanity and seek after lyes Selah That is observe it observe it beloved every sin is a lie Be not O be not therefore so vain as to seek after lyes never believe a liar when he speasts fairest CHAP. II. Containeth the progress in wilderness-sin dismal Lecture 2. destructive of the second branch of the first Doctrine shewing the dismalness of wilderness-sin in two things because both are barren and fruitless dry and moistureless WE come in the second place to the passage and progress in the wilderness and sin The passage and progress in both dismal and destructive 1. It is dismal in both we finde them dismal and destructive First The way of the wilderness is dismal so is the way of sin The way of the wilderness is dismal in these several respects 't is fruitless moistureless companionless comfortless wayless and husbandless and so is the way of sin 1. Fruitless First The wilderness is barren and fruitless you know the complaint Israel made of the wilderness Numb 20.5 this evil place say they its no place of seed of figs or vines or of pomgranats they do not deny but that it was a place of brambles and thorns and bryers but no place of seed grain or fruits figs or pomgranates Just thus it is with the soul under the power of sin its barren and fruitless towards God you cannot deny a sinful heart to be a place of vanity lust excess and foolishness but it is no place of seed no place for the word to thrive in it s no heart of prayer or thanksgiving obedience faith holiness hope love goodness righteousness truth which are the fruits of the spirit Eph. 5.9 But have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness chap. 11. mens works while they are in the state of sin are like the wilderness unfruitful works The wilderness Beloved brings forth thorns but a garden brings forth fruits c. we read Gal. 5.19 Of the works of the flesh but of the fruits of the spirit c. v. 22. a carnal heart brings forth works but it s onely a spiritual heart brings forth fruit Now then wouldst thou know whether thou be in this wilderness what fruit dost thou bear speak conscience the fruit of the spirit yea or no you know the sinner is represented by the barren fig-tree if thou dost not bring forth fruit the fruit of the spirit thou art a bramble of the wilderness I will not deny the wilderness to be in some sense fruitful I should wrong it if I should and so should I sin also it is fruitful so is sin but how 1. If fruitful First The fruit that the wilderness bears is wilde fruit Secondly It bears all its fruit unto it self Thirdly If it be fruitful unto any other it s rather to the Chimney then to the Table such is the fruit of sin Wilde fruits First Its fruit is wilde fruits ye know such fruits as naturally grow in forests and woods without grafting planting or pruning we use to call them as they are wilde fruits and truly all the fruits that grow upon the soul whilest its a tree in the wilderness before grace hath transplanted it are but wilde fruits The trees of the wilderness are but wilde trees wilde branches wilde roots and therefore the fruit must needs be wilde fruit so in sin The sinner himself is a wilde plant stark wilde root and branch father and son at his first conception and throughout his conversation Rom. 11.17 Thou being a wilde olive-tree wert graffed in and therefore certainly the fruit must needs be like the fruit of the wilderness Isa 5.2 It brought forth wilde grapes Ah! thinks the soul after conversion how wilde was I hitherto how vain how foolish how wildly did I use to pray how wildly did I use to carry my self in publique duties how wildly did I use to come to the Sacraments truly every fruit that groweth upon the wilde Olive-tree is a wilde fruit Secondly If the wilderness be fruitful 2. Wilderness fruitful to it self it is fruitful to its self there the fruit grows there it ripens there it falls pray who is the better for it Thus it is with thee O sinner if thou bear fruit it is for thy self God is never the better for it as I may say he gets nothing by thy estate he gets nothing by thy policy he gets nothing by thine industry if thou canst keep it none of it promotes his cause none of it maintains his poor none of it advanceth his praise behold Thou art the man that art a wilderness to the Lord
Ephraim were but an empty vine so Cant. 6.11 I went down that 's Christ into the garden of nuts when Christ takes a nut-tree out of the forest and transplants it in his garden makes a sinner a convert then he observes the fruit it brings forth to see the fruit of the valley that is of the poor penitent lowly humble heart and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomgranates budded that is whether this and that and the other grace faith and humility and holiness c. flourished and brought forth unto him Therefore as Christ in the fore-quoted place calls the fruit of his garden the Spouses so the Spouse calls the fruit of her garden Christs blow upon my garden and let him eat his pleasant fruits Cant. 4.16 If thou would have evidence that Christ did in earth and doth in heaven bring forth fruit unto thee labor to finde that thine heart thy lips thy life do all of them bring forth fruit unto Christ 2. Labor to finde Christ unto thy soul a river of waters of life Secondly labor to finde Christ a river of waters of life unto thy soul since thou hast been hitherto moistureless like a wilderness when Israel was in the dismal wilderness where there was no water Psalm 78.15 16. the Lord clave the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of the great depths he brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers But what 's this to me a sinner may the soul say Why the Apostle tells thee this rock was Christ these waters flowing out the rock were streams from Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 They drank of that spiritual rock that followed thâ—â— and that rock was Christ Christ is that river the streams whereof make glad the poor bewildred soul There are three sorts of streams which O that you could finde flowing from the Lord Christ 1. 1. Stream of blood Labor to finde the red stream of Christs blood Christs satisfaction and justification and reconciliation purchased thereby this is there as in many other Scriptures called Christs wine I have drunk my wine Hast thou by faith seen this rock smitten by the Lords rod and this red stream issuing out Hast thou seen Christs side lanced and the blood streaming forth for thy soul Hast thou seen this blood of the new Covenant poured forth for thee Oh! how would this stream make thy soul glad Secondly 2. Stream of milk Labor to finde the crystal stream of Christs Spirit by the other the soul is counted righteous by this it is made righteous I know the sincere heart desires as truly this as the other the other is the fountain open for sin that is the guilt the curse the condemnation this is a fountain open for uncleanness that is the defilement and pollution and both is for the house of David to wash in this is there as in other places called Christs milk and to shew that Sanctification and Justification go hand in hand one with another therefore saith Christ I drunk my wine with my milk though the wine be the first yet is it not without milky streams but they go along with it I cannot but imagine but that in the order of nature Christ Justifies before he Sanctifieth and yet I believe he never justifies but therewith he sanctifies as here wine first yet wine with milk even both together so we have Isa 55.1 the same order and the same conjunction Buy wine and milk without money and without price that is my merits and my spirit shall be both yours if you close with me though you deserve neither But thirdly Labor to finde yet other streams 3 Stream of honey even honey streams from Christ in the Ordinances this is called as often by David before so Cant. 5.1 Christs honey-comb and his honey Hast thou then found communion with Christ in prayer hearing reading or the like sweet as honey swâ—eter also then the honey-comb Canst thou say as the spouse of Christ Cant. 4.13 His lips are like lilies even like lilies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe Have those sweet streams from Christs mouth flown down thus upon thy soul surely such floods cannot choose but make thee joyful in the house of prayer 2. To finde thy soul a watered garden to Christ Now secondly Labor to finde thy soul a watered garden unto Christ The soul was in the wilderness Cant. 4.8 and she becomes a garden ver 12. and in this garden there are both springs and fountains though both shut up and sealed that 's for Christs use they are reserved who alone is found worthy to open the seals 1. The fountain of thine hâ—ad First Then let the fountains of thine head be opened unto Christ the streams of thy lips of thine eyes thy words thy tears the working of thy brains let them all stream forth towards the Lord Christ say as the prophet O that mine head were fountains and mine eyes rivers of tears Jer. 9.1 let it be with thee as with David Rivers of tears run down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Psalm 119.136 O that all our heads and eyes were as rivers streaming towards Christ and Christ onely O that our brains might work more after and more for Christ We were as a moistureless wilderness before let us even in this sense become a watered garden now Isa 58.11 2. Of thine heart Secondly Let the fountains of thine heart be opened unto Christ If God have shed his love abroad in thine heart shed now thy love abroad into Gods heart We were as a wilderness we could scarce pour out words before God before let us now Psalm 62.8 pour out our hearts before God let all our affections desire fear love joy c. stream forth towards God Thus David poured out his soul within him Psalm 42.4 3. Of thy life 3 Let the fountains of thy life stream forth towards Christ as the fountain both of Christs life and death to boot did flow out unto thee whether you eat or drink or whatever you do let all the streams of your lives run into the channel of his glory According to this threefold counsel you have mention of a threefold breaking out of waters in the spouse Cant. 4.15 A fountaâ—n of gardens there 's one sort a spring of living waters there 's another sort and streams from Lebanon there 's a third sort that is if I mistake not one in the head another in the heart a third in the conversation The fountain of the head waters the garden of the affections the spring of the heart enliveneth the fountains of the head knowledge would otherwise be a dead water and now from both together to wit head and heart there are streams from Lebanon that is Knowledge and Grace flow forth as streams into the conversation You may therefore observe comfortably that as Christ had spoken high before of the streams that flow from himself
of the way verse 12. destruction and misery are in their ways verse 16. 't is as much as if he should say sin first bewildreth and then destroyeth verily there were multitudes that dyed in that wilderness and that which killed them was this wilderness God threatneth it Numb 14 I have heard their murmurings ver 27. your carkases shall fall in this wilderness even all that were numbred of you vers 29. which were Six hundred thousand and Three thousand and five hundred and fifty able to go out to war besides the numerous tribe of Levi which were not numbred and yet perished with the rest Numb 1.46 47 God brings it to pass Numb 64.65 Amongst all these there was not a man that escaped but Caleb and Joshua for the Lord had said of them they shall surely die in the wilderness you have both it and the reason yet more express Josh 5.6 Israel walked in the wilderness till all the people that were fit for war were consumed because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord You see what reason I have to say 't was this wilderness made that destructive Zelophehads daughters confession is very remarkable Numb 27.3 Our father died in the wilderness in the beginning of the verse he died in his own sin in the latter end of the verse you have the same conjunction Heb. 3.17 He was grieved with them that had sinned whose carkases fell in the wilderness 1 Cor. 10.5 with many of them God was not pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness It would seem uncharitable and rigid doctrine if we should now say that as many as came out of Egypt yet died in the wilderness so many are born in the world yea in some sort come out of Egypt get some knowledge some light and yet perish and die in sin yet certainly there is a proportion of truth in it that is heaps upon heaps multitudes and thousands upon thousands that are called Israelites that are named Christians do yet perish in this wilderness and there are but a few one of a family and two of a tribe some Joshua's and some Calebs that fulfil to walk uprightly and that come savingly to enjoy a Canaan so destructive is the wilderness of sin More particularly it appears to be so in these four respects The Famine of the wilderness is wasting and consuming The Thorns of the wilderness are rending and tearing The Serpents of the wilderness are biting and envenoming The wilde Beasts of the wilderness are ranging and devouring 1. The famine of the wilderness is dismul and destructive First then You have heard before that the famine of the wilderness is dismal 't is destructive also therefore have you mention not onely of wasting but of dying in the wilderness they and their cattel Numb 20.4 for want of bread and for want of water Numb 21.5 you have mention also of a burning hunger and bitter destruction Deut. 32.24 the same thing is represented by the parable of the lost son Luke 15. you have his confession verse 17. I perish with hunger T is a burning hunger that poor souls undergo that have not a God a Christ a Covenant to feed upon they that are lost must needs perish through this hunger If David oppose an interest in God to all natural good to support life corn and wine c. Psalm 4.6 7. If onely they that fear and seek the Lord are provided for whilst Lions the chief beasts of the wilderness yea yong Lions the chief state of those chief beasts do lack and suffer hunger Psal 34.9 10. and that hunger be as you hear a burning hunger an hunger that eats up the soul as fire doth fewel whilest the soul hath nothing no interest in God no comfort from God to feed upon surely such lost souls such bewildred sinners had need to make much haste home 't is not a hunger unto drying but unto burning not to leanness onely but unto death you perish with hunger what ever food you have to feed upon besides Christ it will not be able as we say to keep life and soul together 't is chaff which prodigals may have yet cannot fill themselves with all and though they feed upon it they must yet perish with hunger Secondly The thorns of the wilderness are rending thorns 2. The thorâ—â— of the wilderness are destructive piercing wounding killing thorns as you may reade Josh 8.7 and 16. you may meddle you think with sin now and not be pricked but if ever God tend your conscience either in wrath or mercy by these thorns it will be that God will teach you as Joshua did the men of Succoth in judgement and as God taught Saul afterwards in mercy how hard it is to kick against the pricks Act 9.5 't is said 1 Tim. 6.10 They erred from the faith pierced themselves through with many sorrows Oh! what piercing what thorow-piercing thorns are here they are called choaking-thorns unto the word Matth. 13.22 and therefore needs must they be choaking-thorns unto the soul sin seems blunt and smooth now you will finde it sharper another day This I speak of the guilt of sin 3. The Serpents of the wilderness are pdisoning and so destructive serpentâ— The Serpents of the wilderness are mortally poisoning Serpents those especially in the old wilderness do best suit with the serpent Sin In the wilderness were fiery serpents and scorpions Deut. 8.15 yea Numb 21.6 The Lord sent fiery serpents amongst the people and they bit the people and much people of Israel died Sin doth not onely rend the soul but envenom it too and so makes the wound uncurable You have the wicked going astray that is in this wilderness Psal 58.3 You have mention of their poison like the poison of the serpent verse 4. Their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel venum of asps Psaâ—m 104 3. they have sharpned their tongues like serpents adders poison is under their lips so that as Job saith of the arrows of the Almighty Job 6.4 That the poison thereof drinketh up his spirit so must sin which sharpned and envenomed those arrows much more be a soul-destroying poison yea verily what ever poison there is in death it self it is from sin 1 Cor. 15.56 the sting of death is sin let not us therefore tempt Christ as some of them tempted and were destroyed of serpents 1 Corinthians 10.9 4. The beasts of the wilderness are devouring beasts Lastly The Beasts the soul meets with in this wilderness are as in the other devouring wilde beasts The sound of these beasts makes the way of the wilderness as you heard before dismal meeting with these beasts makes it destructive I 'le bring lions upon him that escapes of Moaâ— Isa 15.10 the beasts of the field come to devour yea all the beasts of the forest Isa 56.9 see a full Scripture Jer. 5.6 A lion of the forest shall slay them a wolf of the evening shall devour them
in the wilderness 1. If you call him a tree in the wilderness oh how unfit is he now to be transplanted 2. If you call him a travailer in the wilderness oh how unfit is he to go thorough those uneven and stumbling wayes that scarce can creep in a plain way Mine heart akes to think of your hoary heads and unregenerate hearts Your heads as white as a Dove your hearts as black as a Raven You 'l say of a grave and snowy-beaâ—ded ancient one there goes a fine old man 't is so indeed and onely so when his heart is as holy as his head is white Prov. 16.31 The hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness T is that that makes it so A crown is a very glorious thing indeed but there are but few of them An old man walking in the wayes of righteousness is a glorious fight oh that I could see more of them But mark If it be found in the way It seems old men are not ordinarily in the way and they that are out of the way are in the wilderness Now 2. if he be found in the way with a hoary head what then why then he is a Crown But how and if he be found in the wilderness and his gray hairs be found in sin why then he is a curse Psal 65.20 A sinner of an hundred yeers old shall be accursed A wilderness tree of an hundred yeers old is a cursed tree 3. If it be found in the way who should finde whether he be or no hath he been lurking so long in the wilderness and must he now be found out yes God will finde what wayes you walk in and be you as crafty as an old Fox yet God will finde your haunts in the wilderness Sutable is that Job 14.16 Thou numbrest my steps thou watchest over my sin Thou hast forgot but God can reckon how many steps thou hast taken in the wilderness Oh! that we could alwaies so walk as alwaies remembring that we shall be found in what wayes we are walking Happy are you young ones that are found so doing and you hoary heads if you be found in the way of righteousness And doubly bewildred must the aged sinner needs be partly in the remembrance of younger yeers In two respects partly in the infirmities of his old age 1 His yonger yeers bewilder him 1. Youth-vanities 1. His younger yeers must needs be now a wilderness unto him as to their vanity their guilt their abiding iniquity 1. How can he chuse but be lost in his own spirit when he looks back and thinks of the emptiness vanity and dissatisfaction of all his youthful courses sure when he sees all the works which he hath done under the Sun he must say as Solomon Eccles 2.14 All is vanity and vexation of spirit Yea will he or nill he this shall be for the evil dayes shall come wherein he shall say I have no pleasure in them Eccl. 12.1 2. How can he chuse but be lost in his own conscience when he looks back upon his youth-youth-sins and strength-sins 2. Youth-guilt The pleasures of sin bewildred him then the horrors of sin amaze and bewilder him now Job 13.26 27. Thou writest bitter things against me saith holie Job thou makest me to possess the sins of my youth thou lookest narrowly to all my paths God that looks so to thy pathes all thy life will by his writings upon thy conscience put thee in full possession of the sins of thy youth as you make writings when you would put one in possession thou shalt have them and hold them for God writes bitter things against thee and thou shalt possess thy youth sins Oh! what a burthen what a wilness is the guilt of twenty or thirty yeers sins to one then converted And if so at what a lose may the sinner of an hundred yeers old be 3. 3. Remainders of youth-sins The speculative re-actings of his youth and strength-sins in his aged and crazy yeers do much bewilder him seldom is it though his body be spent and consumed in sin but his mind is as full for it and as much taken up with it as ever Desire fails as to his body but his heart is as lustful as ever To see and to hear of the actings of his old sins by yonger ones pleaseth him Methinks t is a sad expression Job 20.11 His bones are full of the sins of his youth It seems sin will hold as long as any thing holds when his fl sh is consumed his bones hold still when sin leaves his flesh it enters into his bones that is his abiding part if his body be disabled for sin yet his minde is full of it yea and it shall lie down with him in the grave Thus do youth-sins bewilder him when he is old 2. 2 Infirmity of old age The infirmities of his age cannot but be as a wilderness to his soul and render his condition much more lost and remediless To instance but in two amongst many The dimness of his sight and the lameness and feeblness of his leggs and feet 1. His dim and dead-sightedness is such as he cannot see the way for those that look out at the windows are now darkned Eccl. 12.3 His judgement and apprehension is gone as to naturals and how unfit then for the view of spiritual things he is dull of hearing and slow of remembring and all his mentals are impaired and which is worst of all the Lord in rightousnes smiteth such aged ones that have had long and sleighted long the opportunities of knowing the way of peace with judicial blindness and blockish sottishness that as they will not so they cannot yea that they might not see with their eyes lest they should be converted and he should heal them Isa 6.18 2. Such lameness is in his legs and feeblness in his feet that if he could see yet could he not walk in the wayes of God and what can you now think but that he must perish in the wilderness Eccl. 12.3 The strong men bow themselves His affections were strong his soul was vigorously carryed out by them for they are the feet of the soul but they now bow under him And how can his desire think you be vigorous for God for the very native edge is taken off of it for vers 5. His desire shall fail His affections are now gone that were strong if he go to God he must go without leggs but alas little of that old men both in naturals and as to spirituals love to lay their old bones at rest Alas how should he put up strong supplications that is himself so weak or be frequent in prayers when he hales for breath such as will and must be in the pangs of conversion In a word how should he get out of the wilderness that is not able to stir from the place where he lies But yet my heart breaks to
my purpose is that Ro. 2.19 â—rt thou confident that thou thy self art a guide of the blind hat teachest another and teachest not thy self that sai'st a man should not steal and thou stealest c. thou art a sad Guide indeed saith God though thou bee never so confident that thou art a Guide and indeed we use to say None so bold as blind-bayard None will take it usually more in snuff to be undervalued as to their Ministery then such lame dead standing resting Ministers 2 A civility preaching Minry 2. A Civility-preaching or practising Minister that in neither life nor doctrine goes farther whose business it is only to make their hearers good neighbours and as they call it good Townsmen living lovingly and dealing righteously truly that 's good and it may be themselves will set them a Copy therein by living peaceably and honestly amongst their Neighbours And I would all that are called Ministers would doe so well But yet let such know that they and their people for all such preaching and practising are in the Wildernesse if they come no farther There are some Ministers in the World of this stamp whose people I believe would go to Hell and dye in the Wildernesse of sin though they should do all that their Ministers bid them do When the civill man came to Christ asked him what he should do to inherit Eternal life Christ to try him Preacheth at first after their rate Mat. 19.18 19 thou shalt not commit Adultery nor steal c. and honor thy Father and Mother c. Why thus far it seems his teachers had taught him and thus far he had learnt from his youth ver 20. say you so Oh! but saith Christ Luk. 18.22 One thing thou lackest go and sell all and follow me which is the sum of the Gospell that which he had learnt was Morality but one thing he lackt and that was Divinity that was Christianity that was self-deniall self-abasing gospell-humbling gospell-repentance sell all and gospell-faith and gospell-obedience come and follow me this Doctrine he was never taught before and this he never learnt and therefore notwithstanding his proficiency in the other and due observancy of those Guides yet was hee left in the Wildernesse still and lost therâ— as you may see in the close of the story 3. A generall preaching Ministry 3. A general preaching Minister that either preacheth notions or generall things of Doctrine or else practicall truths but in a generall way Truly the reason I believe that people generally continue bewildred is Ministers preaching so much in a generall way to particular soules in their naturall condition that do not use to take home any more to themselves then we carry home into their bosoms whether almost they will or no. Surely as it is not food in generall that supports or Physick in generall that heales the body so is it not the truth in general that cures the soul but this or that food or Physick applyed to this or that body or this or that truth applyed to this or that soul You know that Drunkards doe usually sleepe under invectives in generall against Drunkennesse and be very safe too Oh! I am not the Drunkard I am but a good fellow or the like till the word come close and plain and home And truly the Guidance of a generall-preaching Minister is little more worth then the Counsell of a Country-Ideot that when a travailer should ask the way to London hee should answer London-Road and the man should reply yea but which is London-Road or which way shall I take to get into it and he should answer nay I cannot tell So they preach that sin is the way to Hel and Repentance and Faith are the way to Heaven yea but saith a poor soule which hears them preach thus generally yea but what is Faith or Repentance or how shal we do to know whether I repent or believe or no What is it to mortifie the deeds of the flesh and what is it to walk after the spirit which you say we must do and truly the Minister is come the next time to a new Text and never unties the old knot And so the poor soul is as much at a losse as ever it was Onely it knowes now that sinne will damn it and that faith would save it but how to get out of the Wildernesse of sin or how to get into the way of faith never doth the Minister shew and this is the guidance of generall Preaching A sad instance of such Preaching and an happy instance of the contrary we have at once in one Preacher upon one hearer Nathan and David Nathan he forms a curious and elegant story wherein he lively wittily reproves Davids sin to Davids very face 2 Sam. 12. the four first verses Now mark as hee Preaches in the generall so David assents in the generall and is convinced in the generall ver 5. as the Lord lives saith David the man shall die that did this Why David was the man But yet for all the beating of the very bush that David was hid in till David himself comes by particular and plain dealing to bee smitten upon the generall conviction is not worth any thing to him but himselfe lies secure in the Wildernesse of sin still But when Nathan comes to preach particularly David begins to apply particularly and when Nathan smites him he smites upon his own breast Thou art the man saith Nathan ver 7. Thus saith the Lord I did thus and thus for thee verses 7 8. and yet thou hast done thus and thus against me Thou hast slain Uriah and thou hast taken his wife to bee thy wife and thou hast despised the Commandement of the Lord and thou hast done evill c. ver 9. And therefore saith the Lord I will raise up evill against thee and the sword shall never depart from thine bouse ver 10 11. Now David begins to be startled to purpose and to be down-right in acknowledgement as Nathan was in conviction And David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. Verse 13. Whilst Nathan the cries man did soso and David cries the man shall die But when Nathan cries thou art the man David criee I have sinned against the Lord and if you read but the Penitentiall Psalms of David you shall find what a sad cry it was Particular Preaching makes penitent hearers Whilest Peter cries out Ye have Crucified c. Act. 2 36. They cry out What shal we do v. 37. We say Dolus latet in Universalibus It is easie to deceive or to be deceived by generalls A sedulous inquiry in quiry into the particulars of truth and a close application to particular Cases are the choice meanes for us Ministers to undeceive others and to be undeceived as to the state of our own soules Thus much of the third bewildring Guidance viz. of some Ministers so called Come we now to the next CHAP. VI. There are
8.5 Oh! it was a long time this last bout ere she could finde that which she had lost in a nights steep of sloth and security At first you see her at a loss chap. 3.1 and coming out of the wilderness ver 6. But now you must read from Chap. 5. to Chap. 8. before you heare of her coming up from the wilderness At first she comes up in full sense of her glory she is a perfumed Spouse Next bout she comes up in full sense of her infirmity she is now a leaning Spouse Th re was more sparkling flaming smoaking perfumes of joy before but more serious sober setled humility and dependance now Before she was more proud of her Beloved and lesse ashamed of her selfe But now how glad in her Saviour and yet how sad in her self Yea herein her heart although she lean and come up from the wilderness is ready still to faile because after she had tasted of his love she fell asleep And although she were out of the first Wilderness viz. that of the state of Condemnation yet fell into the second Wilderness even that drowsinesse of spirit after Conversion Therefore let not any poor heart among you for whose sake I have spoken all this say that it was never truly brought out of sin because it is now or hath been upon the wrack of new terrours because of its after-conversion drowsinesse or security Onely if ever thou be as no doubt thou wilt be brought out of the Wildernesse the second time covet rather to come out a leaning Spouse than a perfumed Spouse I mean rather desire to be kept low and in dependance by Grace than to be raised over-high by comfort Thus much of the first bewildring darknesse after Conversion as to the enjoyment of our comforts I would not let him goe chap. 3.4 That 's her language at her coming first out of the Wildernesse and 't is pretty high and confident but chap. 8.1 2. O that thou wert as my Brother I would lead thee and bring thee c. this is her Dialect at her second coming up from the second Wilderness here 's more humility and dependance CHAP. XXIII Two farther particulars dark providences on Gods part and backslidings on our parts darkning our comforts as also two particulars darkning our graces THe second sort of after-conversion darknesses is 2. Dark providences as to our outward man Darke Providences as to our outward man and hence we are many times bewildred and at a loss as to our inward As they that I spake of were found despairing before conversion so these repining after conversion if God lead us into a Land of seeming darknesse it will be to us a wildernesse Ier. 2.32 Surely saith the soul I have been but deluded in spirituals to think that God would save my soule for in naturals I am at a great straight and God doth not provide for my body If he loved me he would never keep me so low he would never so afflict me Now this is Darknesse for saith Divinitie If he should not afflict thee surely he doth not love thee Such a darke cloud of providence in Jobs outward Estate makes him at a loss for his inward hope Hear his language Iob. 19.8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot passe he hath set darknesse in my paths that 's the darknesse that I now speak of for vers 9. He hath Stript me of my glory and what of that why vers 10. Mine hope hath he removed when his outward glory his attyring glory for saith he He hath stript me is lost his inward hope is lost too because his enjoyment of earth is gone for the present he is at a losse for the hope of heaven c. And this is our very usual and bewildering darknesse to measure and account Gods inward love or hatred from what providentiall dealing outwardly is before us but no man knowes it thereby Eccle. 9.4 Gods chastisements then to Gods own children Gods chastisements on his Saints a cloud a dark cloud are Clouds so full of darknesse that they are often bewildred as to Gods Inward favour and the light of his countenance which they have sometimes accounted better then life that sun sets in this cloud A cloud it is and a dark one too under which without great wisdome from above we may sadly lose our selves as to our comforts But Gods chastisements to his people in their owne nature are and so doth God intend them onely as Israels Cloudy pillar in their Wildernesse 'T was very dark but verie usefull 1. For Protection 2. For Guidance But 1. A protecting Cloud 1. This is a darke but a protecting Cloud God makes those providences serve to keepe his Saints wherein they thinke they shall be lost what dark thoughts have many of the Saints of God had of that authoritie and power as if all should be undoubtedly lost under it which God hath made our protection hitherto crosse providences frequently keep us out of danger As when your child is crost in bringing of it in from under the horses heels or like danger in the streets It 's good for me saith David That I have been afflicted That is It would have been worse if it had not been so bad It 's better to be poor and godly then to be rich and proud by the dark cloud of poverty God protects them from the danger of pride and vanity c. 2. A directing Cloud 2. Gods chastisements are a darke but a guiding Cloud and such was that to Israel And my Brethren no matter how darke it be if God by it point thee to thy way this is the very use of Gods darkest dispensations to his deare ones Psa 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learnt thy precepts No matter how black the Rod be by which thy guide points out thy way 3. Dark back-slydings 3ly The Third sort of bewildring darknesses after conversion are from our partiall apostacie and wretched back-slydings In this darke we lose our comforts No sooner doth Satan turne us aside but he bewilders us he turns us aside from holinesse and bewilders us as to comforts For my part I judge it impossible for any even for any Saint to maintaine spiritual comfort in turning aside to a carnal conversation If you will adventure into the dark of sinne you shall be lost sadly though not finally in the dark of sorrow Mich. 7.8 9. When I fall I shall arise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I will beare the indignation of God because I have sinned against him From hence you may observe thus much 1. That the back-slydings or fall of Saints shall not be unto death as the sinnes of the wicked I mean to death eternall 2. But yet if they will dare to sinne they shall find darknesse wherein they may fall 3. Yea and if they fall into sinne they shall sit that is continue
I meane the way of believing all is written in the Law and the Prophets Neither would I be understood as speaking out of passion or ill-will whereof I know not any reason but of love and tendernesse and commiseration unto their souls to whom I am speaking with meekness instructing those that oppose themselues if God peradventure would give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth according to my expresse duty 2 Tim. 2.25 And yet on the other hand with such love unto the truth as to contend earnestly for for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints which is a duty as expresse Jud. vers 3. I would be farther understood as speaking without any respect of persons accouning those and all those to be going fires and bewildring lights whom the Scriptures bring under the following Characters And further I shall not desire or dare to affi x any other brand upon such then what this Bible in mine hand shall prepare unto my hand wherein I dare not be so unfaithfull or inaffectionate to their soules as to conceale from them their danger for we have Christ himselfe the true light telling us before of these false ones and you know we are commanded to hear for afterward My brethren there 's danger in following every light for saith our Saviour Mat. 24.23 If any man shall say lo here is Christ or lo there is Christ believe him not That is follow you not every light what not when they speak of Christ No vers 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets c. and vers 25. Behold I have told you before vers 26. Wherefore if they shall say unto you behold he is in the desert go not forth if in the secret Chamber believe it not Lights then they are but but false lights Prophets but false ones false Christs Wherefore you must not goe out after them if you doe you may find a desert but not find a Christ To come then to the paralell Description of a going fire A going or fools fire is a more grosse and fatty Exhalation kindled either by its owne motion or by contrary cold c. carryed unconstantly up and downe in the lower Region of the Aire and frequently leading Travellers into places of danger into pits and precipices being exhaled out of some rancke and fat soile such as burying-places or fields where great slaughters of Armies have beene made or bogges and putrid parts of the Earth So these false lights 1. Arise from Corrupion c. 1. Then these spiritually wandering and bewildering lights arise as that Meteor from putrid places from mens corrupt minds It hath been accounted of late by some a solaecisme to call Men Corrupt from their opinions oh he is a very honest man let his principles be as corrupt as may be but it was not so in the dayes of the Apostles 2 Tim. 3.8 Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith the Apostle calls him Corrupt that is Corrupt as to the faith as well as him that is corrupt as to obedience Opinions that are wicked render men corrupt as well as wicked practises Now then let us take heed what Principles we suck in as well as what Practises we run into Oh! there is a corrupt mind as well as a sound one from the former do arise these seduing fires 1 Tim. 6.5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds Yea but such as these will charge you of corruption in judgement and who shall judge I answer Two kinds of Corruption There are two undoubted signes of corruption in the flesh and those may well serve here since the Apostle chargeth corruption upon some spirits 1. Swelling 2. Running Under either of these who can clear the body from corruption So then those Principles that in their own nature Swelling signes tend either to the swelling of the spirit or the running I mean to spirituall pride or pollution cannot but passe for corruptions of mind and out of these are generated these going and bewildring lights 1. Swelling Principles The Apostle is full to this purpose 1 Tim. 6. v. 3. He consents not to wholesome words c. vers 4 He is proud v. 5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and what followes destitute of the truth So 2 Tim. 3.2 Boasters proud c. v. 8. Men of corrupt minds And upon this account I am altogether dissatisfied with the Armineâ—â—cei vrine of free-wil because its necessary and direct tendâ—â— the â—s they expound it is to gratifie pride in its highest kind even spirituall pride that vaine man might be able to say of his own salvation Is not this Babel which I have built by the strength of my might c. 2. Putrifaction 2. Putrifying Principles whose immediate tendency is to filthinesse of spirit for what ever they think that would have none censured for their minds yet is there filthinesse of spirit as well as of flesh from which even from all of which Gods heirs of promise must cleanse themselves 2 Cor. 7.1 Now Principles there are tending to this rottenness such are theirs who turn the grace of God into wantonness Jude 4. Yea more express 2 Pet. 2.18 They speake great swelling words of vanity there 's the former They allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness there 's the latter Those that were clean escaped from them that live in Errors Marke the phrase Now how did they allure them Why that which is forbidden to Saints Gal. 5.13 viz. Not to use Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh is intimated to be their practice vers 19. Whilst they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of Corruption Mark that you may be sure that Principles tending to looseness lust wantonness are corrupt Principles and out of those bogs arise these lights Secondly That Meteor is a fatty viscous Exhalation so these going and seducing lights 2. They are carnall are sensuall principles carnal principles flâ—shly principles and such are the men themselves Jude 19. These be they that separate themselves sensual having not the spirit There is an holy separation that Scripture calls for but amongsts us there is a vaine carnal separation without the spirit but not without sensuality these separate from men but not from sinne they are forsooth better then others but they do worse then others they are begodded above men but they live beastially and below men One drinketh drunk and speaks not at all of Christ as the rude prophane drunkard pices her drinks drunk too as the other but professeâ— such I speakes of Christ and saith he is a Saint and others in darknesse and why may not this be counted the more prophane of the two These are they that say they cannot sin that delight in nothing else but sin Thirdly That Meteor is light uncertaine 3. Vncertain carryed about with every aire so these are carâ—yed to and fro with every
Light and which the false But I know you would bee glad in such a case to carry a promise with you to the Throne of Grace to put it in suit by prayer there A promise that we shall know the true light take that and I think it worth the bearing along with you Isa 52.6 Therefore my people shall know my name therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak behold it is I. Act Faith upon this promise and God shall make thee to discern the true Light though thou be not able to dispute for it yet shalt thou be fully satisfied in it by the guidance of the Spirit Object Yea but will these Seducers say we have the Spirit as well as you and we are as sure as you and why may not we be right as well as you Answ They and we cannot be both sure and both right because we are Contradictory But that you may know which is true for both cannot be true take this a more general and precious Rule A general rule to know false light There is no true Light differing in the whole kind or contradictory to another true Light There may be a true Light yet lesser than another as in this respect there is one glory of the Sun another of the Moon another of the Starres yet are they all true Lights but then they are not contrary but subordinate the one unto the other Thus the light of a Candle and the light of the Noon-sun bâ—th are true lights for though the Sun 's doe swallow up the Candle's light as it were yet you see the Candle hath its light still But now take a Glow-worm or a Scale of a Fish or a peece of rotten wood these shine in the darke also but they are false Lights for bring them to the Candle or to the Sun and there is nothing like light in them they differ from it in the whole kinde Thus the light of the Law and the light of the Gospel and the light of Grace and the light of Glory are different Lights or distinct one subordinate to the other but not in the least contrary But bring an Errour to the Light of the Word and it is like a peece of rotten wood brought unto a Candle very darknesse ceasing altogether to be a Light So then what ever Doctrine it is that is contrary to any knowne true Light resolve upon it that that is a false Light More particularly take this threefold Rule Three particular Rules for there is a threefold known Light So then whatever Doctrine runs counter either first to the light of Nature or secondly to the light of the Spirit or thirdly to the truth as it is in Jesus cannot be a true Light 1. Then 1. The light of Nature that is so far as men goe along with the Bible without a Bible there is an undoubted impresse of Eternall Verity upon our natures some sparkes whereof yet remain after our ruines of Nature in the fall which nothing in all the Scripture is or can be contrary unto because it is a true Light as far as it goeth and for the quality of it This you read of in the Heathens Rom. 1.19 20 21. I say not that by improvement of that they might have demerited a saving measure of true light but so much they had that by the using of it they might have avoyded that grosse Idolatrous darknesse that he there speaks of for this is flatly contradictory to the light of natural reason that that which was made by me suppose an Idol should be my Maker I remember once in Ireland one went about to disswade the souldiers from opposing the Rebels for said he If one smite thee on the one cheek turn to him the other and this he called a Scripture-self Resignation mistaking that scripture and opposing it against the Law of Self-preservation written indelebly in all hearts I have also read in the History of Munster in Germany of two men that solicited two young Virgins made their Proselytes to Fornication the Maids refused the motion with disdaine telling them that their natural modesty and shame abhorred it they replyed impudently and importunately and it seemes too prevailingly that that was self and to be denyed else no salvation Now that could not be a true light because naturall conscience it selfe did abhominate it In such cases we may say as Paul 1 Cor. 11.14 Doth not even Nature it self teach you 2. The light of the Spirit that is in the Scriptures Secondly That which is contrary to the light of the Spirit of God must needs be false Light But they pretend to the Spirit as well as we and there are no immediate decisions of our Disputations how then shall wee know what judgement Gods Spirit is of in any Debate How we may know the judgement the holy Spirit Answ As by the Writings of Judge Cook we know his judgement in things of Law and by the Writings of any other Author that is personally withdrawne we see his mind so though the Holy Spirit hath withdrawne himself as to any more vocal decisions of our Controversies yet hath he not left himself without witness in that the Scriptures are expresse and expresly his 2 Pet. 1.21 The Prophecie came not by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Object Yea but say they we maintaine our opinion by Scripture and that 's your exposition and this is mine that 's your sense this is mine and why not mine be true as well as yours Answ There is not any intelligent Author but it is easie to gather the tendency and scope of the whole discourse Now we may very usually meet with a passage which being viewed alone and at suddaine appearance may seem to contradict the genius of the whole discourse Now if that sentence be competently capable of another sence than that which singly and suddainly it seems to beare and that other sence be fairely coincident with the plaine bent of the whole discourse in this case no man ever doubts to say that this sence so made out and orderly according with the whole is the Authors very judgement So here the Scriptures as before are the undoubted writings of the holy Spirit Sum of the Scriptures The plaine tendency of these is clearer then the Sunne viz. That salvation is from God onely through Christ and according to the Election of grace unto man-kinde once happy now lost by that lively faith which carryeth perseverant obedience in its bosome to the praise of the glory of his grace that God may be all in all This who so runs through the scriptures may read and such a scope you have called the Analogy of Faith Now then if there be any single sentence that seems to divide from the whole either you must deny the scriptures to be the Holy Spirits which is blasphemous who so
Mountaines there shall their fold be c. verses 13.14 Of this we spake in the last discourse I will seeke that which was lost and will bring again that which was driven away I even I saith God My friends shall the Lord God make it his owne great businesse to seeke thy lost soule and shall it not be thine the Lord forbid I would have thee know if thy soule be lost and God seek it and thou doe not thy selfe seeke it And thy neglect a despight to him if thou doe not cooperate thou offerest despight unto the Lord God When God looks for lost soules and they would not be found but the language of thine heart is as Ahabs to the Prophet 1 King 21.20 Hast thou found me O mine enemy Poor soules count God their enemy when his Word or Spirit comes so near them as to find them why this is to offer despight unto God yea then when he is offering the greatest mercy conceivable yea more then can be conceived unto thee Thou art scattered God would gather thee thou art lost but God would find thee this is his challenge against Jerusalem under which it should quite be ruined Lu. 13.34 He would but they would not If a child should lose it selfe and the father finding it should offer to bring it home againe and the child should wrangle and refuse his offer what would you call this or what would you account the child worthy of Gods goodness is a leading goodnesse and if thou refuse to be led by it thou shalt be accounted a despiser of it so saith the Holy Spirit Rom. 2.4 Secondly It is the great businesse of God the Sonne We have had occasion to shew that 2. This the great business of God the Sonne though Christ were never bewildred yet was he led into the Wilderness that he might learn to looke after lost soules This he professeth to be his businesse Lu 19.10 I came to seeke and to save that which is lost This was the errand as you have heard that the Father sent the Sonne into the world about and this he pursues as a light to them that sit in darknesse and a guide into the way of peace Lu. 1.79 And now shall it be the businesse of the Lord Jesus And thy neglect a despite to him also to seek thy lost soule and shall it not be thine own Why Thou offerest despight to Jesus Christ When Christ tenders himselfe as a new and living way and soules notwithstanding resolve to be lost still this the Apostle aggravates by them that despised Moses Heb. 10.28 and calls it a treading under foot of the Son of God v. 29. Thirdly It is the businesse of the Holy Ghost 3. It is the great business of God the holy Spirit 1. By our Ministry to bring poor soules out of the wildernesse of sinne First By our Ministry the Holy Ghost is at the charge of sending forth guides furnished with Gifts for the seeking of the lost and all that expence is hereunto this therefore the Lord sorely challengeth and severely reprehends them for that were called Shepheards that they sought not that which was lost Ezek. 34.4 And his sheepe were scattered yet none did search or seek after them vers 6. Despite done to Messengers herein is done to him that sent them And truly in pursuance of this message whatever despite you offer unto any messenger you offer it as Christ saith unto him that sent him that is the Spirit He that despiseth you despiseth me Luk. 10.16 And shall the Spirit of Grace employ so many Ministers to call thee from the Lyons Den c. to look after thy lost soule and dost thou not make it thine own work Oh! what despite is this unto him that sent them 2. By his own Secondly By his own Ministry by the ministration of himselfe his light his grace his guidance Io. 16.13 The spirit of truth shal guide you The great business of God the Holy Ghost is to be a guid to poor soules and shall it be his work and wilt thou have no care of thine own lost soule this is to do despight flatly to the Spirit of grace So saith himselfe And to neglect this is to do despite unto the spirit of grace Heb. 10.29 Consider consider it cost God the Father the losse as it were for a time of his own Sonne out of his own bosome to help lost soules It cost God the Sonne the losse of his own precious blood out of his own heart and veynes to redeem lost soules It cost the holy Spirit the shedding abroad of his gifts and graces the sending forth of multitudes of messengers to seek poor lost soules and wilt not thou make it thy great businesse also Wilt not thou be at any cost or charges to accomplish it if thou wilt not at once thou dost dispight not onely unto me or any others as poor messengers but also unto all the three that are one God Wo wo wo unto such a soul Querie What means coming from the wilderness 1. It requires But now the Querie will be what this comming up from the Wilderness meanes I shall briefly answer 1. By shewing what it requires 2. Wherein it is dispatched or attain'd 1. Then what doth this coming up c. require I answer First A life sutable to such a motion The soul can never come out of this Wilderness A new principle of life viz. raising up as long as it continues dead in sin You may call long enough to a dead Corps to come up from the Grave except you put a new principle of life into it and as long upon a dead heart to come up from sinne unlesse God put a new life into it The call of Christ to Lazarus put life into Lazarus and therefore he came up from the Grave Joh. 11.44 The call of conversion to a sinner puts life into the sinner and therefore he comes up from the Wildernesse as the two witnesses Rev. 11.11 12. The Spirit of life entred into them and then they heard a voyce saying Come up hither Hast thou heard the voyce of the Sonne unto life if thou hast not thou hast not yet stirred from the wayes of the wildernesse which are wayes of death thou must have a new life to walke in these up-hil paths for this is a new and a living way Hect. 10.20 Never think to be rid of a bewildred heart until thou get rid of a dead heart Our Text is pregnant VVho is this that comes up from the wildernesse How came that I raised thee up under the Apple tree God must raise thee up or else thou canst not come up or rather God by raising thee up makes thee to come up Secondly A motion answering such a life 2. New motions viz. comming up As the soul can never come up unless it be raised so say I there was never any soule raised up but was willing to come
this mans countenance We that are Physitians have some sad reason to give him over Jer. 51.64 Thou shalt say Thus Babylon shall sinke and shall not rise from the evill that I will bring upon her and they shall be weary She had wearied the people of God with her cruelties and God himselfe with her abominations but she her selfe was not weary well saith God thou art now a sinking O Babylon and thou shalt be weary So say I thou art quickly a sinking into the Grave O sinner and into Hell and verily thou shalt be weary What say I thou art sinking into Hell what Such are the veriest pictures of Hell above-ground and if I should say thou art an Hell above ground Verily there can not be such another picture of Hell drawne as thou art who art wearied every day with sinning and yet art fresh for sin still The Heathens themselves represent the infinity of the torments of Hell by one Sysiphus who say they is damned by the Gods to rowl a great stone up a very high hill and ever when he hath gotten it up neare the top it is to tumble down again upon him perpertually time after time and truly is is a pretty strange kind of piece of heathenish Divinity if they believed what they said though it were but fabulous yet had their hearts some nearer guesses at the truth then the daring sinners that are amongst us Their figure was something like but thine is exact for as Dives in hell suffers unconceivably to day yet is perfectly fresh for the sufferings of to morrow and so unto eternity so thou sinnest to day and travellest in pain and weariest thy selfe to commit iniquity yet art thou perfectly fresh for sin to morrow We wonder to think how damned spirits contract fresh strength for their new torments and so they shall to all eternity but we need the lesse wonder if we observe wearied sinners getting fresh strength for new sins for as face in water answereth face so doth the heart of sinners upon earth answer the heart of sinners that are in hell for these would also be fresh for sin if God should suffer it unto all eternitie So then as its a sign of a Saint-like heavenly mind to be spiritually universally weary of the ways of nature so farre as they hinder from leaning upon the Lord even so weary of them as he is of his guest Prov. 25.17 Remove thy foot from thy neighbours house least he be wearie of thee and so hate thee to be so weary of them as to hate them Father Mother Wife Children Lands c. which must be Luk. 14.26 Yea so as to be weary of their life because of temptations unto sin Gen. 17.46 As Rebekah was of the daughters of Heth least they should draw her Jacob from the Lord if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of the Land what good shall my life doe me so say they as long as temptations prevaile against them they are even weary of their very lives because of their lusts so it is a very signe of a very reprobate mind and hellish heart to be able to go in the waies of the wildernesse of fin and there to run without weariness and to walke without being faint A word to those that are weary of no waies but Christs waies But still there is one thing that I cannot passe over but must lay it upon your hearts as a lamentation viz. since none can lay hold upon Jesus Christ but those that are weary of all other waies What shal we say to those that are weary of none but his waies I finde it an easier matter by many degrees to make some of you by close preaching wearie of the word to goe to ride to house your selves from the wearying word then to make you weary of the world to leave to hate or to forsake the toyling vanities and wearying wayes of fin It is to be observed concerning the people of the Jewes when now the Lord was wearie of them and the precious Ordinances were taking wing as weary of their despised aboad among them and the word of truth was a flying from Malachi to Matthew and from the Jews unto the Gentiles to whom it might be new newes and welcome His great controversie upon which he parts with them is this Mal. 1.13 Ye also have said that is of my service of mine institutions as you may see in verse before Behold what a weariness is it and ye have snuffed at it saith the Lord of Hosts What a tedious man say some is this hee never knoweth when to have done and then they look at the hour-glasse and snuffe and nothing tyres them so much as these holy things Ah this is plain-dealing when thou saist so God also deales as plainly with thee Mal. 2.17 You have wearied the Lord with your words Well met you wearie of God and God of you but ah poore Creatures who shall have the worst of it Now all that I have said this day I have spoken to this end that if any amongst you are hereby wearied and made truly weary you might know where to have a resting place My God hath said unto me concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as to Isaiah as to Israel Isai 28.12 This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshment but oh my brethren let it not be said of any of you as of Israel in the words of the verse that run on but you would not And so I passe on to the CHAP. VI. Containes Querie second for what are lost soules to leane upon Christ Answer 1. For all their strength 2d Question In order unto what lost souls are to be leaning soules Answer SEcond Question For what it is that lost soules are to lean upon the Beloved The answer of this Question will be obvious from the answer â—f the former for if the weak and wearie be the onely true leaners then 't is strength and rest that they are to leane upon Christ for 1. For all their strength First Lean upon Jesus Christ for all your strength You have heard this hinted that they that would stand against the bewildrings of Satan must be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6.10 Art thou weake Why 't is strength yea the strength of the Lord and the power of his might that thou art to leane for upon Christ nothing else will serve thy turne and that thou maist have by leaning I shall speake to three comprehensive particulars leane on Christ as the alone strength of what thou hast of what thou dost and of what thou art viz. 1. Of what they have 1. Lean upon Christ as thy alone strength in respect of all that thou hast or wouldst have Wouldst thou have grace or comfort believe and thou shalt receive strength to re-receive these Heb. 11.11 By faith Sarah her selfe also received strength to
him our Nature not our Nature as it was at first but our crazy Nature our decayed Nature but doe not mistake me I say not our corrupt Nature he tooke not any thing up of our Natures wherein was sin though he took up many things wherein were the fruits of sin such are our weakness s and wearinesses as abstracted from sinne so that all that is naturall unto us as men yea as fallen men setting aside our fall still as it contained sin in it and left sinful corruption behind it is naturall to Christ I hope you can distinguish betweene infirmity naturall and sinfull at least wise it is easie to distinguish them in themselves though not so easie to distinguish them in us where Sin and Nature are so enterwoven Now as I dare not assert that there was any weakness in Christ that was sin so dare I not deny that the weaknesses that came upon us for sin such as temptations sorrows sufferings and death were properly born by the Lord Christ in that nature which was the subject of his Humiliation I mean his humane nature This is plain to me and I desire to make it plaine to the plainest of you That Christ tooke not Adams nature as it was at first though he was as innocent as Adam was at first he took fallen mans craziness not corruption infirmities not sins the whole mortality of the body but not in the least the body of death this I say is to me plaine from Heb. 2.16 He took not the nature of Angels upon him but the seed of Abraham Mark of Abraham not of Adam of Abraham that is Man in a state of imbecility and infirmity not of Adam before the fall nor of the holy Angels who were both as free from all infirmity as sinne but of decayed man as the next words doe undenyably expound it It became him in all things to be made like unto his Brethren vers 17. Mark In all things How shall we then soberly bound our thoughts herein Why the same Apostle makes the onely Exception that is to be made Heb. 4.15 He was in all points like us yet without sin And this will be proved more fully as I shall prove it more particularly 1. In our bodies First The Lord Christ in the state of his Humiliation was weak as we are It is on all hands granted as farre as I ever yet heard that Christ began to be Crucified as soon as he began to be Incarnat Now the Spirit saith expresly 2 Cor. 13.4 That Christ was crucified through weaknesse If this had not beene true that Christ had taken up the weaknesses of fallen man he could never have been crucified for the sins of fallen man And if the other be true that Christ was crucified from the wombe to the Grave then the Apostles words will prove that Christ considered meerly as man was as weak from the Cardle to the Grave as another meer man only the Divinity protected him from all actual frailties that were not fore-ordained for him Else I believe as small a matter would have crushed him in the wombe or the swathing bands as another Infant because as small a time put his life to a period when the fulness of his time was come as ended the dayes of others yea it is said that Christ was dead before them that were crucified with him This truth is no more prejudiced by this that we doe not read of his being at any time sick c. then if a man should say I have not the nature of decayed crazy fallen Adam in me because I am thus old and never yet had a sicknesse or as if he should say I am not mortall because I never yet dyed However whatsoever may be said or denyed as to the extent of this truth this may not be denyed but that crucified Christ was subjected to weaknesses for so saith the Scripture And againe to me it appeareth 2. In our souls that the whole humane nature and not onely the flesh of Christ was subject to weaknesses yet without sin I meane his soul as well as body if there be any soul-weaknesses separate from sin as surely methinks there are though I confesse I am very little acquainted with the nature of Spirits for Christ took not on him our flesh onely but our nature as is cleare in the Scripture before cited and if there be any weaknesses incident to our soules that may be possibly severed from sin and who can think but that they in this kind suffer with our bodies it seemes to me that Christ took them also on him as now if there be any naturall fainting of our hearts in prayer c. which is not sinfull but the infirmity of the soule and the fruit of our sinne in Adam rather than a sinne in us being originally perhaps from some defect in the flesh as Christ saith flesh is weak that there was some such thing in Christ yet without sinne to me seems I speak my thoughts with modest submission from Luk 22.43 44. There appeared an Angell from heaven strengthning him Observe it is not said onely discoursing with him or ministring to him as at other seasons but strengthning him and what follows truly a passage very sutable to our experiences of divine assistance in humane frailty then being in an Agony he prayed the more earnestly This is therefore the summe of my thoughts herein that all the infirmity but not the least of the iniquity of our Natures was taken up by the Lord Christ properly and assumed personally in the state of his humiliation in the dayes of his flesh Secondly 2ly Our natural wearinesses 1. Of Body As Christ took properly upon him the weaknesses so the wearinesses of our natures First Bodily wearinesse upon occasion of bodily labour Christ was as soon tyred therewith as another man of his constitution c. would have been Jo. 4.6 Jesus therefore being wearied of his journey sat thus on the well Now though it is manifest that Adam in his primitive state had labour imposed on him by the Lord I had rather say imployment for labour as importing a burthen or trouble doubtlesse it could not be I never yet met with any one that thought that Adam was subjected unto wearinesse for that is sensibly a grievance and the curse of sin as is evident Gen. 3.19 Which Curse Christ bare and undoubtedly the wearinesse of Christ here mentioned was to be reckoned as one of our griefs or grievances which are said to be born by Christ Isai 53.4 Surely he hath born our griefs c. whence I conclude that it was our decayed nature that he tooke upon him yea the curse of our natures such as weaknesse and wearinesse c. though not the corruption of our natures for it is said Gal. 3.13 That he was made a curse for us although I dare not goe on step beyond this Scripture expression herein 2ly Soul weariness 2ly Christ was undoubtedly subjected
They are seasonable First A wise Conviction is that which is in season which Solomon calls Golden Apples in silver Pictures Prov. 25.11 concluding seasonable reproof to be wise reproof verse 12. This was Abigaels renowned wisdome when David was just a ruining her whole Family had not she by gracious reproofe stopt his fury taking that season when by her present his passion was allayed and how lovely was it to David 1 Sam. 25.32 33. David was wise and therefore this word was an Earing of gold unto him The same woman with the same wisdome defers her Conviction as to her Husband till the fittest season ver 37. Till the wine was gone out of him but he was a Nabal a fool and his heart was dead as a stone Now such seasonable Convictions are Christs Convictions when soules are neare ruining themselves and others in strikes the Spirit and reproves of sin of righteousness and judgement at the best season When Saul was neare Damascus the intended bloody stage of his persecuting madnesse then just then in comes a wooing word of Conviction Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act. 9.3 4. Who of you can speake of Christs Convictions but must remember that Christ took the best season to say unto you Soul Soul why refusest resistest rejectest thou me Thou maist wonder that Christ should send such a word to stop thee at such a time in such a season 2ly 2ly Suitable As the wisdome of Conviction lies in choosing a fit Season so a fit frame of Spirit fit words fit matter I say fit to perswade not to provoke to soften not to incense and so to harden As sirs if you be never so good and the parties you reprove never so bad your Reproofs cannot be acceptable if they approve not of you that are reproved by you Now this I can say to prove these Reproofes of Christ lovely That Christ rather manageth his wooing Convictions in a pleading than upbraiding way Christ upbraids not but when unbeliefe rejects him and puts him away and for this indeed he will upbraid his very Disciples even after Marriage Mar. 16.14 Although he be slow enough hereunto as is to bee marked from Mat. 11.20 He began to upbraid them because they believed not but in other cases He upbraideth no man Jam. 5.1 But like as he pleaded with the Fathers of old so will he plead with soules Ezek. 20 36. A Chapter full of such pleading you have Ezek. 18. And see how it closeth verse 31.32 Why will you dye I would not have it so saith God wherefore return and live ye Verily such language from the mouth of a gracious God to wretched sinners might melt an heart of hardest stone Christ might upbraide us into Hell and yet when his words are sharpest as Jer. 3. afore quoted they are but to plead us into his own bosome Christ delights not to taunt us for our sin but to humble us under and to rid us of our sin 2ly They are loving and therefore lovely 2ly As they are wise so winning they are loving and therefore lovely Convictions They are pleadings managed by wisdome full fraight of affection no question Josephs Convictions sat sad upon his Brethrens spirits when they were struck speechlesse and could not answer him a word Gen. 45.3 I am Joseph whom ye sold verse 4. There 's the Conviction I am Jesus whom ye have sold for sin for lust for vanity for the world Yea but Joseph vents his owne affections and breaks out into weeping upon them verse 15. and that gives vent unto their utterance for after that saith the Text his Brethren talked with him that is When they saw how affectionate his Convictions were Now this is our Josephs our Jesus his manner O sweet Convictions when most bitter because sweetned by his most bitter teares If Jesus convince Jerusalem his eyes shall speak it as well as his lips Luk. 19.41 He beheld the City and wept over it saying if thou hadst known c. 'T is that makes these Reproofes so rich a present because Christs teares are such precious Pearls 3ly They are consolatory therefore lovely 3ly Christs Convictions are lovely because consolatory As soon as ever Christ hath made you weep he will smile that you may rejoyce That passage is to be remarked Ioh 16.7 I will send the Comforter and how is that amplified ver 8. He shall convince You use to wrap up your bitter Pills in sweet outsides Sugar Sirrups c. But Christ doth otherwise he puts the most bitter outmost You have some Nuts that have hard shells that must be broken and then you come at a bitter peeling and under that lyes the sweet Kernel Our hearts are those hard shels Christ breaks these and then we come at Convictions these are bitter peeles but under these lye Consolations Oh! those are sweet Kernels I am Joseph whom you sold 't was a cutting word Gen. 45.4 Now therefore be not grieved for God did send me before you to preserve your life there 's a curing word for 't ver 5. We cannot think that Joseph did forbid them to grieve for their sin but to grieve inordiately or distractedly I am Jesus whom you abused Oh! there 's a killing Conviction but be not grieved to despair for I was sold to death that I might preserve your life and sent to Heaven through persecution that I might prepare a place for you Oh! that word will revive you If Christ allure into the wildernesse of Conviction making you as Josephs Brethren at a loss in your selves that you shall not know what to ananswer know that he can furnish a delicious Table in this Wildernesse and there speak comfortably unto you Hos 2.14 Now then if you be so scornful or unwise as to hate to be reproved though Christ convince so cordially so comfortingly and have Adders ears unto these Charmings charm he never so wisely take your Course please your selves the world will paint when Christ will be as Fullers soap to wash your lying beauty from you the world will flatter and dare deceive Note Christ your suiter will not his spokesman dare not But know where-ever you make your choice you must have bitter as well as sweet Christs is a bitter-sweet the world is a sweet-bitter Christs wormwood is first tasted the best wine is kept for the last The Worlds Satans Sins discourse are lyes folly flattery c. though these be sweet in thy mouth and thou hide them under thy tongue yet shall thy meat in thy bowels be turned and prove the gall of Asps within thee Job 20.12 14. Thus much to perswade you into love with Christs wooing Convictions But now more particularly In particular The termes of Christs discourse are also lovely termes The first viz. Your leaving Fathers house 1. It s reasonable Secondly I shall endeavour to represent the loveliness of those wooing termes of Christs discourse whereof I spake The first whereof is this
smites thee that hath been so often smitten by thee Art thou pierced by Christ he was pierced by thee first therefore hast thou little reason to complaine that he hath pierced thee Zach. 12.10 They shall look on me whom they have pierced Doth his Word or Spirit wound thee how often have thy vain and vile words and impenitent and unbelieving spirit wounded him Doth his wooong Carriage now prick thee to thine heart how often have thy wandering Carriages struck Jesus Christ to the heart It s fit that thou shouldest feele what it is to be smitten since thou hast so often tryed what it is to smite And well maist thou take it quietly to be under wounds of spirit many hours yea many weeks that hast in thy sinful Conversation been wounding Christ it may bee twenty forty or threescore years 3ly It s he smites thee 3ly He that is smitten with thee that in the mean while is smitten with thee and therefore surely will not smite to hurt thee There 's no great feare that that Father will wrong his Childe that as we say smites himself while hee strikes his Child Surely in all thine Afflictions most of all spirituall which are greatest is Christ afflicted Isai 63.9 If either Satan Sinne or the Law persecuteth thee Christ will say Why persecute you me I have born suffered done and dyed for that soule therefore I will not see that soule perish but though I smite it with mine own rod yet will I not suffer you to ruine it Surely as Paul saith 2 Cor. 11.29 Who is weak and I am not weak who is in the scorching furnace of an afflicted Conscience and I burn not so will Christ say 2ly Consider Why is it that Christ smites thee 2. Consider Why he smites looke backward or forward and there is little reason to murmur on either hand 1. Look backward upon what thou wert 1. Look backward upon what thou hast been and doe not complain and art thou smitten wonder that thou art not struck down to Hell never thinke strange that thou art sore bruised as in the place of Dragons but rather that thou art not damned and so turned down into the place of Devils Lam. 3.30 He gives his Cheeke to him that smiteth him saith Jeremy of the afflicted Spirit and wherefore saith he verse 39. Doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sin Art thou a sinning soul and yet a living soul oh though thou be a bruised soul thou hast small reason to complaine 2ly Look forward upon what thou art to be 2ly Look forward upon what thou art to be and complain no more and doe not count it hard that Christ hath smitten thee Friend Christ intends thee though thy heart have beene crooked and knotty hitherto for a piece of Timber in his living house for a living stone though thy heart hath been a dead and rough stone 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye are built up as lively stones a spiritual house I hope this will satisfyingly answer what is said Hos 6.5 I have hewed them by the Prophets If you will be part in Christs building you must be content with Christs hewing Againe We are called to be Vessels of mercy and these must be prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 And whoever prepared Vessels of gold but by the Furnace let this answer Isai 1.25 I wiil turn mine hand upon thee Oh! that think you is a scaring word but why will God do it I will purely purge away your drosse and take away all your Tinne Againe You are called to be the Lords Iewels and these Jewels must be made up Mal. 3.17 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will finish his Iewels And what Jeweller is there though never so sparing but will have some instrument in his hand to cut away the part or parts that are redundant and so to fit the Jewel before he finish and make it up in the ring of Gold This answers that gracious promise though to a carnall heart a bloody threatning Deut. 30.6 The Lord will circumcise thine heart to love him with all thy soul c. That is the Lord will pare it round he will take away the fleshly and carnall and redundant parts of it this will cost sharpe work to thy fleshly heart Thus will Christ deale with thee to make thee to love him when he wooes thee to love him onely be not thou as Zipporah crying out to Christ as she to Moses Exod. 4.16 A bloody Husband art thou unto me because of the Circumcision So that all the expressions that import thy future glory doe abundantly engage thee to receive with meekness 3ly Consider What these smitings shall conclude in Thine Enemies ruine and thanksgiving thy present sufferings and buffetings 3ly Consider what these smitings shall conclude in and be satisfied viz. In the ruine of thine Enemies and in the healing of thee First When God casts soules as those three Shadrach Meshach and Abednego into the furnace and the Son of God comes to take acquaintance with them and to beare them company in that Furnace as Dan. 3.25 What shall that fire doe more then burn their Enemies as verse 22. Verily upon them shall it have no power nor shall the hair of their head be singed verse 27. Thy Corruptions thy sins thy drosse thy dirt shall consume and be burnt up but it shall not be able to hurt thy soule But 2ly As for thy soule if that be bruised 2ly Thy souls healing it shall bee annointed by that balm that is in Gilead and the Physitian that is there Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque feret Christ doth use to wound us as Enemies doe and then to let us lie and perish for want of looking too neare feare so great unkindnesse from so kind a suiter no no but if sense say as Hos 6.1 The Lord hath torn and he hath smitten let thy faith say also as theirs there and he will heale and he will bind us up after two dayes that is some short season he will revive us and the third day at farthest he will cause us to live verse 2. Hearken my friends what Hezekiah can say after all his chatterings like a Crane and shatterings to pieces both which you have together Isai 38.13 14 verse 16. O Lord by these things men live and in all these things Marke all these things as if he could not be without Note or misse one blow of them and doe well is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live so wilt thou as if God had as it were limited himselfe to that way of working unto the reviving of a dead heart So then either Christ must marry thee whilest a Carkasse and lay thee a dead piece of flesh in his bosome or thou must be contented to be smitten but and if thou be smitten he will verily revive thee and cause
or seriously and frequently remember death will get a Christ to lean upon in that hour But while you read in one scripture of some that put the evill day far from them as Amos 6.3 't is no wonder that you read in others that some there are that say unto God Depart from us as Job 21.14 or that Christ should come to his own according to the flesh and they not receive him as Joh. 1.11 You have a notable passage Isa 57.10 Thou hast found thy life of thine hand therefore thou hast not grieved Men find their lives in their own hands therefore they have not repented therefore Though all our Times are alwaies in Gods hand yet vaine men ordinarily think they are in their own hands as in time of health and prosperity c. but now in sicknesse they foolishly think yet is there something in it that their lives are in the Physitians hand if he through inconsiderateness or hast mistake a glass or a Gally-pot they may die for it Oh! now they are grieved how glad would they now be that they had but a firm hold upon the Lord Jesus So I have seen at Sea when the vainest of our company have been convicted by a storm that ours lives were in Gods hand and not in our own When our tacklings have been loosed and we could not well strengthen the Mast oh how fain would we all of us then have had an Interest in this Beloved and hope in this Christ as the Anchor of our souls when we could not cast anchor with our ships to have a Master to lean upon When our Mast reeled and wee staggered like drunken men and were ready to sinke in the deep Waters Oh! What crying out with Peter Master save us we perish Lord Jesus We sink we sink we are at our wits ends Lord save us But as soon as we were safe on shoar again though our lives were new given us even for a prey yet then fell wee to our former course of sin self-confidence and vain conversation having small care of faith or holiness Christ is now little beloved little believed little thought upon little lean'd upon Thus whilest we lean upon any thing of SELF there is little leaning to this beloved All this have I spoken to you for the self same end that those sad providences spake to Paul and his companions 2 Cor. 1.9 That you might not trust in your selves but in God Trusting to self and trusting to God leaning upon self and leaning upon the Beloved are as very Opposits as light and darkness as Hell and Heaven and the Apostles argument is very clear that the Lord one way or other must quite remove us from the former before we come to the later Therefore lean not to Self By this time I hope I have spared my self a labour as to any set opposition of such Considerations as might disswade you from leaning on your selves having not been able to convince you that men do so without conviction also of the Vanity and Foolishness of all that doe so Well might the wise man say as Pro. 28.26 He that trusteth in his own heart that is he that leans to self-wit self-will c. is a fool So say I hee that trusteth in his own Righteousness or length of daies or anything of his own is a fool Understandings Souls consider how foolish and unwise a thing it is to lean to your own naturall carnall unrenewed Understandings which are both foolishness with and Emnity against the Lord What needs more weight of argument to disswade you Wills Consider how desperate a thing it is to lean to your own unsanctified and unregenerate Wills which you have seen by scripture-light to be both Rebellion against the Lord and Idolatry in the account of the Lord and require when you have seriously weighed these more forcing disswasives if you can Righteousnes Consider how dangerous a thing it is to lean to your own Righteousnesse which is ever found a stranger to a Run-away from and a Rebell against the onely saving Righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus Lives Consider how vain a thing it is to lean to your lives and so not unto the Lord which are at all times as you are forced to confesse at some times not in your hands but in the hands of the Lord. In this the Bell in your steeple spares me a labour in turning over the Bible in mine hand God proves this to your Eares to your Eyes to your hearts in your Husbands Wives Children dearest Relations sometimes every other day to one of you or other and God might have proved it upon you unto them as he hath done upon them unto you and who of us knowes whom of us the Lord will make the next proofe hereof unto the rest of us or how soone our life is our lease our body our house If you leane to this house it shall not stand Job 8.15 Therefore if any of us have beene staved off from leaning upon this Beloved by leaning upon our selves or any thing of our own oh do no more so wickedly CHAP. XXIII Contains disswasives from leaning upon sinne or Satan I shall onely speake three other words to beat off your elbowes from those three other leaning-stocks viz Sinne Satan and the World and then I shall by the help of my Lord as the close of the discourse shew you the excellent advantage of leaning upon Christ First Leane not to sin This is the veriest vanity Lean not to sinne For 1. This is the veriest vanity and it will be the veriest vexation of Spirit First This is the vreiest vanitie If you doe but believe scripture you may easily be induced to believe this What better termes doth scripture bestow upon sinne then such as these a vain shew or shadow a deceipt a lie or make the most of it and it is but a Cobweb Now if you will but take the Spirit of God to beare a true testimony under these terms unto your sinnes then how vaine a thing is it to leane unto them even your selves being Judges Because 1. Sin a lye First He that leans to a known sinne if the Bible be true leanes undoubtedly to a known lye If the Crutch in his right hand be a sinne let Isaiah speake whether the Crutch in his right hand be not a lie Isai 44.20 They that follow after sin follow after leasing and they that hold fast sin hold fast deceit Jer. 8.5 And therefore 't is not strange that they that doe so should be therefore branded to love vanitie Psal 4.2 What foole so foolish as to trust a known lyar especially in a known lye And yet alas what sinner is there more wise Wilt thou lean upon that which is not but onely seems to be Sinne is not good sinne can bring no good Sinne is not really pleasurable it is not truly profitable when it seemes to bee such it is not such but doth lie In
this case thou must either put the lie upon the Scripture or upon Sin I believe thou darest not doe the former and therefore why is it that thou wilt not do the latter Or 2ly At most 't is but a Spiders web Secondly If sinne have any being at all make the best of it it is but as a Spiders web A poore thing you 'l say for an House to lean upon when all it's support is in very deed by leaning on the House Take but downe the House and you need not take downe the Cobweb My Brethren if Scripture be true then the very best head that sinners can bring their work unto is but the spinning of a Spiders web a poore thing you 'l say and a very vanity for the soule which should be an house for God to dwell in to leane upon and yet read Isai 59.4 5. They trust in vanitie there 's my charge against sinners they speak lies conceiving mischiefe and bring forth iniquitie they spin Spiders webs there 's the proofe Would not he be accounted a foolish one that would not yeeld to the taking downe of a Cobweb for feare least his House should fall And what shall we account of foolish sinners that thinke that if their soules be but swept and their sinnes their Spiders webs but taken downe that then they shall fall also and that their Reformation would be their ruine Miserable madnesse why Sinne is not the House and thy Soule the Cobweb but thy Soule is the House and sinne the Spiders web Thy soule hath not it's dependence being and subsistence upon sinne but sin hath it's dependence by hanging upon thy soule It 's sad that so many cleanly and houswisely for the world that cannot indure Spider or Cobweb in their Houses should to freely suffer both in their hearts and thinke that they goe about to undoe them that would sweep them downe Oh! downe with Spider and Web and All down with Satan and Sinne too and instead of danger I 'le warrant thee decency and that thy soule shall become a Temple for the Holy Ghost to dwell in But if thou wilt still conceipt that thou canst not be or subsist without thy sin when in very deed it is thy sinne that cannot be or subsist without thee know from the mouth of the Lord Job 8.14 That thy hope shall be cut off because thy trust is a Spiders web Secondly 2ly This will be the veriest vexation of Spirit 1. If this Reed bear not up the hand it will pierce the hand This will be the veriest vexation of spirit which will easily appeare in these severall particulars 1. Sin is not of an indifferent nature If it cannot profit thee to leane upon it it will be sure to prejudice thee This is that very Aegyptian Reed 2 King 18.21 That staffe of Aegypt whereon if a man lean it will not onely breake and so shrink from under his hand but it will go into his hand and pierce it thorough Oh! what is that which leaves the deepest markes behind it in wounded Consciences and distressed Spirits but this or the like I have sinned and trusted in my wickednesse and strengthned my self in my sin When a man flees the judgements of the Lord and leanes to his sinne untill the guilt and horror thereof meet him he is compared to a man fleeing from a Lyon and going into the House 2ly The harder you lean upon sin the heavier it will lie upon you and leaning his hand on the wall and a Serpent bites him Amos 5.19 2ly The harder you leane upon sin now the heavier will sin lie upon you another day What is observed of the Irish Nations Genius that while they are Underlings they are faire and flattering but ever plotting for the Mastery and the more they are trusted or leaned unto the more easily they attaine it but their little fingers are as others loynes when they have gotten the upper hand of those that by leaning to them were prevailed upon by them this may be verily said of sinne the more you adventure to leane upon it the harder it will be sure to lie upon you 1. In the Commanding power sinne will not long bee a servant when once you come to trust it Sinne promised to be your servant at the first but you must be it's slaves afterwards Though sinne will be daily offering its service such as it is to the Saints as I remember the Irish used to doe to the English before their massacre in the late Rebellion yet the way to keepe it from Mastery is to keepe from trusting it If once you be deceived so farre as to trust it for then I am said to be deceive when I lean'd or trusted to a man and found him not according to my trust reposed in him I say if once you be thus deceived by sinne sinne will be servant no longer but you shall be presently found serving divers lusts and pleasures Tit. 3.3 2ly In the condemning power of it Sirs The more you put stress upon sinne now the more weight of horror and guilt and condemnation sinne will be sure to lay upon you afterwards You will finde Scripture more expresse to this pupose then you willingly would have it I shall give you but one proofe and thinke that enough Isai 30.12.13 Thus saith the holy One of Israel because you trust in perversenesse and staie thereupon therefore this iniquitie shall be as a breach ready to fall swelling out in an high wall whose breaking comes suddainly at an instant Your sinne will not alwaies be your Underling but if you make it your wall and leane upon it and stay thereupon it will quickly get above your head and grow higher then you and the more you leane the sooner it will swell and the harder you leane the heavier it will fall upon your heads you shall not need to call to Mountaines to fall upon you this high wall of your own building and whereunto you trusted will be weight enough upon your Consciences and vexation enough unto your spirits 3ly Lean on sin and looke that God should leave you 3ly Lean on sin and God wil leave you he that trusts in sin hath a God on this side God he makes sinne his God and then as Hos 10.3 What should a King do unto us so what should God do unto him What will he doe why he tells you Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned unto Idols let him alone When men are joyned to sinne that is hold sin as hard as sinne holds them and stick unto sinne as close as sinne sticks unto them God will say and they had as good he should say any thing let such a soul alone Lastly Though God leave thee for the present 4ly The harder you press upon sin the harder will God presse upon you yet will he leane the harder upon thee another day the harder thou leanest upon sinne now What a dreadfull passage is that Job 27.20 22. Terrours
shall take hold upon him for God shall cast upon him and not spare though he would fain flie out of his hand You have this dreadfull judgement annexed to this sad sinne Jer. 13.35 This is thy lot the portion of thy measures from me saith the Lord because thou hast forgotten me and trusted in falsehood this is thy lot from me Oh! that 's a killing word It 's usually the lot of Saints to suffer from the World and to have all the loades laid on them that wicked men can lay yea sometimes 't is their lot to lie under all the loads that they can possibly lay upon themselves and their own Consciences can presse them down withall but all this is little to the other for all this while there is a God to take off their loads from them But now when God shall say this is thy lot from me and I will lay much weight upon thee because thou didst trust in falshood and lay as much weight upon thy sinne as possibly thou couldest and I the Lord will presse hard upon thee with mine owne hand of wrath and will not spare because thou didst leane hard upon thy sinne and sparedst not Heaven and Earth stand astonished and tremble O Hell at the Easelesse Endlesse and Remedilesse vexation that will surprise that Spirit Leane not to Satan 1. He is a knowne lyar 2ly Lean not to Satan for 1. If Sin be the web Satan is the Spider If Sin be the lie Satan's the lyer and which of these is to be leaned unto As for Satan he was a lyer from the beginning he hath continued a lyer ever since he got his Kingdom by lying he continues it by lying he manageth his whole Oeconomy and family-dispensations by lying and therefore he is called the Father of it Jo. 8.44 And is this thy Counsellor thy friend thy bosome-friend Is this hee that so many of the world lean unto Alas the foolishnesse of the children of men or madnesse rather of the children of the Devill alas the frequent bewitchednesse of the children of God! 2ly A sworne enemy Secondly Satan is not onely a known lyer but he is also thy sworn Enemie therefore what madnesse is it for thy soule to leane to him Will a man consult with his Enemie whose plot it is to take away his life or his estate how he may doe to save them Or will he which is much more lean to his Enemies counsell if he should entertaine a discourse with him What is said of the Unicorne Job 39.11 Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great I may much more say so to thy soule concerning Satan Are we ever the more confident in our Adversaries because they are the more potent Strength is the onely thing in Satan which might induce thee to leane unto those Principalities and Powers yea but that strength is in an Enemies keeping and therefore there 's lesse reason for trusting him Or dost thou thinke that he will lay downe his Emnity because he takes up a flattery Let the wise Man counsell thee Prov. 26.24 25. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips and layeth up deceit within him when he speaketh fair believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart Thirdly You say of knavish Customers 3ly The more you leane to him the more he will presse upon you the more you trust them the more they trouble you and the more they have of your Confidence the more you have of their Companie the way to be rid of them is to give them no Credit neither to trust to their Promises nor to their Payments I am sure it is and will be thus with Satan Oh! how he loves to trade where he may bee trusted you complaine Satan's alwaies troubling you and who can helpe it you are alwaies trusting him Trust him lesse and hee will trouble you lesse In this sort resist him and in that sort he will flee from you Jam 4.7 Lastly Lean unto Satan and farewell all confederacy and correspondence with the Lord. They say 4ly Leane to him and God will leave you if our State will leane to the Portugall they must breake with the Spaniard for these are absolute Enemies I am sure if you leane to Satan God will break with you for there 's no reconciling Christ and Belial Thus resting on the Lord and covenanting with Hell are made termes of fullest opposition Isai 28.12 15. CHAP. XXIV Disswasives from leaning upon the World amplified Lean not to the world THirdly lean not to the World Or as the Apostles rule is where hee speakes of the highest of fleshly things Phil. 3.3 Have no confidence in the flesh 1. Not to the worlds promises First Lean not to the Worlds promises be they never so specious yet are they but like Satans to Christ when he shewed him the glory of the World altogether deceitfull and treacherous All these will I give thee or to our Parents you shall be as Gods What more could be promised but though the second Adam was wiser then to be deceived yet is the first Adam yea and all his posterity a sad and sufficient proofe of the slender performance Much after the same sort doth the World pay what it promiseth Therefore as Job 15.31 Let not him that is deceived trust in Vanity for Vanity shall be his recompence Have you not often found this to be true of the World you very Men of the World Is not an high degree in the world a lye even as a low degree is vanity Read Psal 62.9 Yea let great Ones read their own Experiences in such or such a place of worldly profit or power c. Who were fairly promised much in it before they had it and then tell me Nor performances 2ly The Worlds performances are no more to bee trusted then its promise Leane no more unto what the World can do then unto what the World can say 1. Not to what the men of the world can do First Lean not to the Men of the World Jer. 17.5 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man or maketh flesh his Arm. 2ly Lean not to the Things of the World 2. Nor the things of the world Charge them that be rich in this world that they trust not in riches 1 Tim. 6.17 True may you say men are not to be lean'd to in whom we have no interest but such a man is my friend my Brother But trust not in a friend Mic. 7.5 And againe men will think small friends small forces are not much to be confided in Small means they that have them may live to wast them and too dye beggers notwithstanding them But think men if our friends or our Armies were so great or our Navies so strong or our Estates so many Thousands and that an Annuity then might I trust and that with boldnesse unto these things Therefore I wil go over again First Lean not to the men of