Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	lose_a	soul_n	unregenerate_a	260	4	16.3219	5	false

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

comes that first let him seek satisfaction of whom he will I study not to satisfie him or if you yeeld them to be of divine inspiration you must suppose that though you be ignorant or your reason in the dark which may well be that yet there is a sence of it that you discover not that bears a sweet harmony with the whole and some worthy men have sweetly studyed out much exquisite Musick in these seeming discords which they have gathered by collations of scripture with scripture and if a sence be discovered though latent as to the letter or first view c. that may competently fall in with the present intended discourse and accord with the whole frame of the scriptures we cannot be at such a blind confusion as was supposed in the Objection that you may say this is your sence that is mine and why may not I be as right as you Thou hast one sence of a scripture and another hath another thou thinkest that thine interpretation unties all the knots of that scripture and his thou thinkst doth not but now friend if thy sence be contrary to the undoubted principles of truth in general and the tendency of the scriptures though thou be not sure that the other mans sence supposed to accord with the rule of faith is the very sence of this very place because he cannot by it resolve all thy difficulties yet may he be sure that thy sence is false as to this scripture in particular because it will not stand with the sence of scriptures in the generall for every spark is Homogeneous and of the same kind with the whole flame The Apostle writeth expresly to this purpose Rom. 12.6 Make use of the Analogy of faith Let us prophesie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the rule or square or scope or proportion of the faith When we preach upon a particular verse let us not onele sute our Doctrine to the particular notions that we have raised from thence but be we sure that the scope tendency and proportion of the truth will bear it lse how sparkling or shining soever our Notion may be they will prove but ignes fatui bewildring false lights And verily I think it were easie upon this score to attaint many of those ranging Errors of the times Who can reconcile the Popish Doctrine of merits to that undoubted Rule there is no name whereby we must be saved but the name Jesus Christ Who can make the licentious notion of fruitlesse believing to stand before that Capital truth that faith without workes is dead faith Who can bring the Arminian or Pelagian Doctrine of free-wil to a subserviency to the praise of the glory of free-grace Thus much for scripture-●ight 3. The truth as it is in Jesus the rule of the new Creature But thirdly That light which is contrary to the truth as it is in Jesus can not but be a false light This is elsewhere called the rule of the new Creature and as many that walke according to it peace be on them and on the whole Israel of God this is described Eph. 4.21 If you have been taught by him as the truth is in Iesus verses 22.23 c. Put off concerning the former conversation the old man that is corrupt according to deceiptful lusts and be renewed c. Put on righteousnesse and holinesse vers 24. Putting away lying speake truth vers 25. Putting away wrath vers 26. Not stealing but labouring vers 28. Not corrupt in communication but edifying vers 29. Not grieving the holy Spirit c. vers 30. If any thing called light be contrary to these Rules of the new Creature as most of our wanton licentious going fires are 't is unquestionably false light So then to conclude in the Prophets language Isai 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony Conclusion if any speake not accordding to this word it is because there is no light that is no true light in them But let us say with David Psa 119.105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my path and a light unto my feet CHAP. XXVI Containes the Collaterall doctrine that every unregenerate soule is a lost soule expounded and improved ANd thus have you heard what advantages Satan hath what paines he takes what meanes are made use of unto the bewildring of poor soules And thus much for the discovery of the point Instead of Application because I have all along applied things in particular I shall subjoyne a Collateral doctrine A Collateral Doctrine and that is this If every unregenerate heart be in a bewildred condition then that Every soule that is in an unregenerate state An unregenerate soule is a lost soule is in a lost estate Psal 119.176 I have gone astray like a lost sheepe Soules that are astray that is spiritually bewildred are spiritually lost Christ binds downe this truth with a three-fold Cord three Parables Luk. 15. The lost sheepe vers 4. The lost piece of silver vers 8. The lost Prodigall vers 24. and all these to import the unregenerate condition An unconverted soule is a lost soule Lost I know not what word goes higher to expresse an undone estate Many say I had a good wife but I have lost her a dear childe but I have lost him a precious friend a faire estate but I have lost them I beleeve if you should be questioned for the cause of most of your complainings 't would be found that lost lies at the bottome of them Losses are burthensome we know not how to beare them Rachel had lost her Children and she refused to be comforted Let me look then among you Mourners and Complainers one mourns for the losse of a debt a Ship taken by Pirats an house burnt another for the losse of a friend a relation c. A third hath lost his strength his limbs his hearing his sight and amongst you all are there none whose lamentation is Oh! but I have lost a precious soule 'T is strange that that there is so much moan for other losses so little for this for let me till every unconverted heart amongst you that thou art not possibly lyable to such another losse as this for this is a comprehensive an irreparable an eternal losse 1 This losse is comprehensive 1. This is a comprehensive losse even of all other losses for that man that loses his soule loseth himselfe and all things else and what can be more 1 Lose thy soule and lose thy selfe 1. The soule is such a thing as in the enjoyment whereof a man enjoyes himselfe and therefore losing it loseth himselfe You say of some mad distracted man he hath a faire estate a good wife pretty children but he hath not himself and what poorest man amongst you would exchange Estates with such an one so the unregenerate of the world have honours pleasures profits what not but they have not themselves they have lost themselves because they have lost their

soules Mat. 16.26 It runs What will it advantage if a man gaine the world and lose his own soule But Luk. 9.25 If he gaine the world and lose himselfe He that loseth his soule loseth himselfe You say Anima hominis homo the soule is the man sure here it must passe for current undoubtedly if thou have lost thy soule thou hast lost thy selfe The Prodigal was a jolly man whilst he was a lost Sonne but in the Lords eye and his owne when he came to be enlightned he was not an enjoyer of himselfe Luk. 15. v. 17. When he came that 's by repentance to himselfe he said 2. In the enjoyment of our soul 2. Lose all other things too we enjoy all things else If thou canst not say that thy soule is thine thou canst not say any thing else is thine therefore in losing thy soule thou hast lost all things else as 1. God is none of thine 1. Losest God Thus the Apostle expressing the unregenerate estate of the Ephesians Chap. 2.12 saith they were without God in the world Hence our ordinary phrase unregenerate ones are ungodly ones gracelesse ones are godlesse ones What my Brethren lost God Heaven and Earth tremble at this loss lost God there 's one word for all for God is all in all A Saint may say as Jacob said I have all Gen. 33.11 for so the Hebrew Text bears Qui habet habentem omnia habet omnia he hath all that hath him that hath all A Saint may say this is my wine and my wool and my flax and mine oyle for the Lord is my God and therefore Secondly Mammon is and shall be none of thine 2 Mammon Vaine men care not for losing their soules if that be the worst of it that they must lose God by it for they say unto God depart from us Vaine men care not for losing their soules so as that they may either get or save their Mammon But friend if thou lose thy soule that 's the way to lose thy Mammon also If thou canst not say thy soule is thine whose shall those things be when that is gone If thy soule be required this night of thee then whose shall these things be that thou hast provided Luk. 12.20 The lost Sonne was faine to rob the Swine to fill his belly with their husks Thou art a robber when thou takest either fleece or flesh from the poor sheep to feed thy belly or to cloath thy back and save that the sheep is dumb before the shearer and slaughterer it would cry out Robbery and Murder for it is more innocent then thou neither is it any of thine save onely by Gods permission and thine usurpation Therefore God saith as if thou usurpest his right I will recover my Wool and my Flax and take away my Corne and Wine Hos 2.9 if thy soul be not thine 2. Irreparable 2. The losse of the soule is an irreparable losse Mat. 16.26 To lose his soul Luk. 9.25 Or lose himselfe is to be cast away Oh! that 's a sad word such an one is cast away that is he is drown'd and sunk and buryed in the bottome of the Sea and can never be recovered any more A poor wretch that loseth his soule is cast away that is drown'd and sunck and buryed in the bottome of Hell for evermore If you have lost your Gold by hiding it in the Earth you may dig for it and find it but if you have lost your Gold in the bottome of the Sea 't is irrecoverably lost If thou losest a Wife or a Childe or an Estate c. these losses are recoverable or if God take away these he can for Counters give us Gold But if thou lose thy soule nothing can repaire that losse Mat. 16.26 VVhat shall a man give in exchange for his soule that is there is nothing so much worth as it nothing able to repaire the losse of it Set apart the inestimable righteousnesse of the Lord Jesus and it would utterly begger heaven and earth to repaire the losse of any one poore soule When we exchange our soules with any thing that this world can afford we are as a rich fool and much more foolish then he that gives away an exceeding great Estate for a painted Apple or guilded Nut. An hundred thousand times more then what he gets would not countervaile the one thing that he loseth 3. Eternal 3. It is an eternall losse because it is the losse of that which is immortal 'T is in the soule that the worme lives that never dyeth 'T is upon such a soule that the fire feedeth that never goeth out Isai 66.24 The griefe the sence the sorrow of other losses dyeth with thee but this losse and the unconceiveable sadnesse of it begins most to live when thou dyest the losse of temporal things is but temporal but the losse of the immortal soul is eternal What friend lost for ever for ever Oh! let that word break thy heart From hence let me first speake to those that are lost Use 1 and not yet found This is and shall be for a lamentation To those that are lost and not yet found lament What my Brethren have you lost your soules and not found them Why every one is solicitous for losses 1 Sam. 9.3 The Asses of Kish were lost and he said unto Saul arise take servants with thee and go and seek the Asses Up and call in helpe and take all paines and all to seek the lost Asses And thus they pass through the Land of Shalishah but they found them not through the Land of Shalim but there they were not through a third Land and yet found them not Seek your soules and yet on they went to seeke them still verses 4.5 Oh! how shall this story rise up to condemne poor soules Hast thou ever taken such paines to finde thy lost soule to go from Ordinance to Ordinance from duty to duy from one endeavour to another restlesly laborious in seeking that which thou hast lost You have a saying that I love you as I love my soule Why upon the account of this history I had rather be some mans Asse then thy soule yea most mens Dogge rather then thy soule if they lose their Dogge they 'l whistle for him If a Gentleman lose a setting Dogge c. all the Country shall be searched for it but how few Gentles or others take paines inseeking their lost soules Alass this is in a sort an infinite loss wherein thou losest an infinite God How sad is it then that herein thou shouldest be or not at all or so sparingly affected My friends I see you are yet alive and thus much according to the same truth I would say to qualifie what was before spoken of this losse for the sake of broken hearts not of obdured sinners that the soule is not so as I said lost until your lives be lost for until you have lost your lives 't

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

to any man in the world what is it that perswades you to lean to him for any thing to lean at all or to him rather then to any other Why these are the two and onely two grounds 1. His word of promise 2. His power of performance It were vaine to trust to a poor man that is not worth a groat who it may be oweth thee a thousand pounds hath often promised it to thee when he was able but the man is now begger'd and thou knowest his beggery to trust I say upon this money and leane to to his payment because there wants power of performance though there want not promise And it were a greater vanity for thee to go to a rich man that is worth 40000 l. and leane upon him for a thousand pounds that never promised thee or said that he would give thee so much as a farthing of it because though he be able to performe what thou desirest there lacks promise But now when a man hath said and engaged that he will give thee so much and he is able to give it thee and thou knowest him to be an honest man this thou maist leane to thou reckonest this as good as money in thy Purse thou buildest upon it and trustest to it Now upon this account I undertake to prove that Jesus Christ is immediately to be taken hold upon and leaned unto by lost soules because he is alone 1. The word of God 2. The arme of God He is the promise He is the power of performance He is Gods truth and Gods strength Now whatever soule shall lean else-where yea though it be on God himselfe out of Jesus Christ leanes where there is no promise 2. Where there is no power of performance as I hinted before but as for them that leane upon Christ they have 1. Because Christ is Gods word and Covenant 1. The Lords Word Oath Promise Covenant to lean upon You have all these words in scripture applied unto Christ you have this bundle of Mirrhe broken up when God bringeth Christ into the world Lu. 1. He hath raised up an horne of salvation in the house of David ver 69. As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began ver 70. To remember his mercy promised and to remember his holy Covenant ver 72. The Oath which he sware ver 73. Christ is the Word Promise Covenant and Oath of God and now tell me how canst thou leane upon God for salvation upon any other account then this his Word Promise Covenant and Oath Yea so fundamental and express is this truth that Gods Covenant is that Christ alone shall be his Covenant and Gods promise is That Jesus Christ shall be his promise Isai 42.6 I will give thee for a Covenant to the people so that if thou leane upon God in his Christ thou leanest upon him in his Covenant and thou hast nothing to do with his Covenant unlesse thou lean upon him in his Christ 2ly Christ is Gods arme and power Secondly They that leane upon Christ have the Lords power as well as promise to ●ean unto As the case stands Gods power is in Christs hands All power is given unto me saith Christ And hence you have Christ called the strength of God and therefore to be taken hold upon or lean'd to Let them take hold upon my strength saith God that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace Isai 27.5 Stand off saith God doe not leane upon me immediately but upon my strength that he may make peace with me he hath power to reconcile you and me together I will not I can not doe any thing for you unlesse he make peace with me for he is my strength therefore take hold that is leane upon him immediately and upon me reconciled and pacified in him Upon this account also you have Christ called the Arme of the Lord Isai 53.1 To whom is the Arme of the Lord revealed that is To whom is Christ revealed for in the next words he speakes clearly of Christ and linketh that to vers 1. For he shall grow up c. You had an He-strength in the former you have an Hee-arme in this latter scripture so Isai 51.5 The Isles shall wait on me on mine Arme shall they trust that is My Christ for he speakes clearly of him there and saith God because he is mine Arme therefore shall they trust on him that is leane unto him CHAP. II. Begins five Queries 1. Who are fit to leane Answ The weake and weary How weaknesse fits for leaning on Christ opened and applyed THus much for proofe of this point The opinion of the point in five Questions The opening of it I shall endeavour by discussing these severall Queries 1. Who they are that amongst bewildred sinners are onely fit according to the Gospel to lean upon the Lord Jesus 2. What it is that they are to lean for or in Order to 3. What this leaning upon Christ in reference to those ends is 4. What are the hinderances of our leaning thus upon Christ 5. What are the advantages by such leanings upon Christ First 1. Question Who they are that are fit and truly able to leane upon Christ viz. Who they are that alone are fit and apt to leane upon Jesus Christ Who is this saith the Text That comes out of the Wilderness leaning upon her beloved So say I Who are they amongst lost soules for all are bewildred that can come leaning upon Christ out of the Wildernesse There are an hundred lost in the VVildernesse Luk. 15. And there is but one that comes home leaning Though all be lost yet few be leaning soules Now who are those few Answer I durst adventure to answer this Question by asking another Amongst you let me ask you Who are they that need that care for a stay a leaning stock a crutch a litter a couch a bed or any thing proper to be leaned upon The weake and the wearie you 'l say the weake are for leaning and the weary are for rest The strong and the fresh what care they for a leaning stock But to the weake and weary it is precious and indeed the more weake and weary they are the more precious it is unto them I observe the principal scope of that excellent experimental and incomparable Book of the Preacher Is the conviction and demonstration of the weaknesse and wearyingnesse of all that is here below Eccle. 1.14 I have seen all the works that are under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit Vanity there 's their weaknesse and impotency to helpe us and vexation of spirit there 's their wearysomnesse unto us for that which is vexing to the Spirit is tyring and tedious to the Spirit Now this is the preaching of Solomon and unlesse you be under the power of it in this point it will be vaine to presse you to leane upon

the Lord Jesus although a greater then Solomon be here but who so believeth that Text in Ecclesiastes will readily close with this Text in the Canticles But as for Pharisees that can feed without feare on the feast of their own cooking and Worldlings that can battle themselves in their sinnes is it not strange that they are too strong and too lusty too fresh and too lively to leane on the Lord Jesus Christ so then 't is onely weake and weary ones that either will or can savingly leane upon the Lord Christ I crave leave to be full both in proving and pressing this practical truth 1. Lost soules that will be leaning soules 1. Weak souls may be leaning soules and onely they A fourefold account must be weak soules and they that are weak soules had need be leaning soules this truth looks both wayes and will manifest it selfe on this four-fold account 1. That God would never have engaged the strength of Christ hereunto if any strength of ours or any others on this side Christ would have served the turn 2. As long as a soul hath strength on this side Christ it will not care for leaning for strength upon Christ 3. The strength of Jesus Christ is at first laid out for this very end to weaken our strength 4. Jesus Christ will never give in of his strength until he hath weakened ours First This Proposition I shall lay down 1. Iesus Christ had not laid out his strength upon lost souls if any other strength would have served the turne That if our strength might have served to the saving of our lost souls the Lord would never have laid the strength of Jesus Christ out unto such an end Friends you may not think that that God who is so loath that your blood should be lost would be prodigal of the blood of his owne deare Sonne surely he would never have suffered Jesus Christ to have dyed in vaine Now therefore it was that Christ loved not his life unto the death that as by his wounding we might be healed as by his poverty we might be made rich so by his weakning through the flesh we might be strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man which if all things else had not been too weak to have accomplished Jesus Christ would not at so deare a rate have effected it If any thing might have been supportant to our bewildred soules besides Jesus it must have been Moses I meane performances services righteousness of the Law Our strength in the Old Covenant was by doing in the New Covenant 't is by believing Now if that first Covenant could have stood lost soules in stead unto salvation Jesus Christ had not been engaged but in this the Apostle is expresse Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sent his own Sonne in the likenesse of sinful flesh c. If any thing could be our strength on this side Christ it must be the Law But the Law cannot being weake through the flesh that is our carnal hearts and conversations therefore God sent his own Son Now if Christ were sent in default of other strength into the world for lost soules I hence conclude that any soule that expects salvation by leaning upon Christ must lye under weaknesse as to any and every other strength 2ly There are none but weak soules that will be leaning souls Secondly There are none but weak souls that will be leaning soules because there is no soule that hath strength of its owne that will care for the strength of Jesus Christ This you have eminently observable in the story of the woman with the bloody issue as long as she had either money in her Purse or Physitian to go to she never comes to Jesus Christ that is As long as there were any other course to be taken if security will do it or formality or any other meanes may be used our hearts naturally abhor comming to Jesus Christ But when all was gone money out of her Purse and hope out of her heart c. then she comes to Christ to take hold on the hemme of his Garment and as small a measure of leaning as that was it restored her strength unto her Luk. 8.43 44. You sometime say That you are not weak enough to lye by it though you be scarce well enough to sit up So though foules halfe-convicted are scarce well enough to live without Christ yet are there but few of them weake enough to lye by it that is to leane upon Jesus Christ Thirdly It is the businesse of Jesus Christ to weaken as wel as to strengthen souls 3ly Christ will take away thy strength before he will bestow his own To weaken the strong as well as to strengthen the weake and therefore no soule can be a leaning soule till it be a weake soule for Christ will weaken it as to its own strength before he strengthen it with his owne What David complains of in another case Psal 102.23 That God had weakened his strength in the way the same must thou say in thy soules experience for Christ weakens whomsoever he strengtheneth Thus Rev. 3.17 He takes a course to make them out of love with their own riches c. and then counsels them to buy of him And truly my friends Christ hath as hard worke of the one almost as of the other and our businesse in his Gospel is to weaken your strength as well as to strengthen your weaknesse Hast thou any selfe-strength if Christ love thee he will never leave thee till he hath weakened thee 2 Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are spiritual mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds God will pull down what is strong in thee before ever he build up what is weak in thee 1 Cor. 1.27 God hath chosen the weake things of this World to confound what is mighty weak preaching to confound mighty corruptions and strong lusts If you build a Babel strong holds of your owne of one sort or another the Lord Christ will bring them to naught he will confound them Whether thou be strong in thine own corruptions or mighty in thine own righteousness he wil weaken thy strength in the way therefore unlesse thou be weake there 's no leaning upon him Fourthly It is the way and method 4ly In thy weaknesse only will he glorifie his owne strength and onely method of the Lord Jesus to give in strength unto those that are made thus weak Hear Christs voyce 2 Cor. 12.9 My strength is made perfect in weakness saith he to Paul And hear the answer of Pauls experience ver 10. For when I am weake saith he then am I strong Yea this is the constant experience of all that receive strength in the way of Faith that is leaning upon Christ When the Apostle had spoken of so many believers and thought of more that the time would faile

turnings verse 9. When Peter thought that he was in the steadiest way of profession his heart was winding into the way of apostacy Well might Christ say unto his Disciples What spirits you are of you know not Luk. 9.55 Discoveries of of the hearts windings 1. Sort. 1. Head They thought they were in the way of Elias his zeale but they were in the way of their owne carnall passion This I shall farther say of the windings of our hearts First You shall finde them ready to winde into any other way yea though it be the way of anothers duty rather then to keepe in their owne way that they connot indure yea to away of their owne duty at another time rather then to keepe in the way that is now their way Oh! thinkes the poore man if If I were but rich what would not I doe If I were as the chiefe Governour as the supream Power say some hearts oh what would not I doe Yea but thou art what thou art and tell me dost thou doe what is thy duty now to doe 'T is certaine if otherwise that those are but the wildernesse-windings of thy crooked heart thus Absolon 2 Sam 15.4 Oh! that I were made judge in the Land I would doe every man right If Absolon were but King he would be a Saint but in the meane time never was there a more Devilish subject So as our hearts wind off from our duty to anothers 2d Head so from one duty to another our duty but at another time As perhaps sometimes when thou art hearing and thine heart is ready to melt and thine eyes to run over Oh! thinkest thou now if I were in secret how sweetly and brokenly could I powre out my soule and perhaps in such thoughts losest thy selfe and some part of the Sermon perhaps by that time thou art come at home and in a corner thy heart is wound off againe from that frame and now oh that thou wert a hearing againe to warme thee to this purpose see farther how mistaken duty is a meanes to bewilder us whereunto somewhat is to be spoken more largely in the following discourse whither at present I referre you There are many such windings to be found in your particular experiences as many as you finde observe and shun them 2d Sort. Secondly You shall finde your hearts from whatsoever they take their rise though they be different yea contrary principles yet to winde unto the same sinfull Conclusions You say There are many waies to the wood many wayes but they meet in the wood Many waies in your hearts but they all of them winde to the Wildernesse and meet in sinne and that although they seeme not onely to be contrary one to another and yet both meet in the same part of the Wildernesse but also though the beginning of the way be quite contrary unto it selfe in the end of it 1. Head First Although the principles be quite different one from another yet doth the heart winde both to the same sinne For instance take one case that I touched upon before viz. Presumption and Despaire more different principles there cannot be yet the heart can wind into the selfesame sinne beginning at either of these I le prove it from Scripture saith one man Whatsoever I do now I shall do well enough in the end this is presumption Now what doth he conclude why therefore saith he I will sin still saith another man I see ther 's no hope for me however I repent or pray or do any thing this is despaire Now what doth he conclude therefore I will sin still Compare Deut. 29.19 with Jer. 18.12 In Deuter. God calls upon Israel to keepe in his way If any man shall blesse himselfe in his own heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine own heart to add drunkennesse to thirst c. Here 's presumption And how stands the Argument thus Whatever I do I shall have peace whatever way of my heart I walke in therefore saith hee I will go on still and add sin to sin still even drunkennesse to thirst there 's the Conclusion In like manner in Jer. God calls upon the same people to walke in his waies Returne every way one from his evill way and make his waies good verse 11. And they said there is no hope but we will make every one after his own devices and the imaginations of his own evill heart verse 12. Here 's despair Now how stands this Argument thus Whatever I do there is no hope for me and therefore I will walke in the waies of mine own evill heart still No feare in the former therefore he will sin No hope in the latter therefore he wi●l sin Thus Presumption and Despaire though one came from the East and th' other from the West or one from the North th' other from South from the right hand th' one th' other from the left yet this heart that we speake of leads by both to the Wood and leaves men in the wildernesse of sinne How frequently and sadly doth experience confirme this Observation amongst the children of men such are the windings of the wayes of a naturall heart Secondly 2. Head As it can winde from beginning in various waies into the same Wildernesse at last so it can cursedly wind the end of the way to a contrariety to the beginning of the selfe-same way I shall mind you but of one instance for proofe of the truth whereof I shall appeale to the experience of those that know what it is to keepe watch over their own hearts and if it be so with the people of God how much more with the unregenerate And 't is this the gracious spirit being put through tentation or naturall corruption upon some piece of pride It goes solicitously to the Throne of grace that God would break its pride of spirit and give it a lowly broken tender humble heart And in it s exceedingly earnest supplications and Agonies of soule God comes in exceedingly the heart is hereby much broken the Spirit exceedingly humbled and abased and laid very low Now watch for these windings of heart that I speake of and perhaps you may too soon spie them out The poor heart begins to looke upon it self under these enlargements and to like it selfe to reflect upon its broken-heartednesse and humility and to be pleased in them and with them yea verily in plaine english to grow proud of its very humility and this as I said is to wind quite round Now as soon as ever it becomes thus wound aside you may know its in a Wildernesse by the thorns it shall meet with 2 Cor. 12.7 Thornes in the flesh there must and will be when the heart winds about to this pride in the spirit Now then if the heart be so capacious and so full of wayes and those waies so full of windings you cannot but conclude how easily the heart nay how necessarily it becomes a

my purpose is that Ro. 2.19 ●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 ther● 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