The Way to the Tree of Life, Title page 1 – Dedication
A VVAy to the Tree of …
Diſcovered in Sundry DIRECTIONS for the Profitable Reading OF THE SCRIPTVRES: Wherein is deſcribed occaſionally The nature of a Spirituall Man: And, in a Digreſſion, The Morality and Perpetuity of the Fourth Commandment in every circumſtance thereof, is diſcovered and cleared,
BY IOHN WHITE Maſter of Arts and Preacher of Gods Word in Dorcheſter in the County of Dorſet.
Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have Eternall life. Iohn 5.39.
LONDON, Printed by M. F. for R. Royſton, at the ſigne of the Angel in Ivy-lane, 1647.
TO The right Worſhipfull the Mayor, Recorder, Bailives, Burgeſſes, and the reſt of the Inhabitants in the Burrough of Dorcheſter, in the County of Dorſet; Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
NO man (I conceive) will wonder (Right Worſhipfull and Dearely Beloved in the Lord) that I preſent you with this ſmall Treatiſe: being an accompt of ſome of my labours which I have taken amongſt you. I know not of whom they are likely to finde (nor deſire they may have) better acceptance then of thoſe, of whoſe love manifeſted unto me in ſo many honours and favours, by which you have ſo many waies engaged me now neere theſe two and fourty yeares, (wherein I have continued amongſt you) I have had ſo aboundant and full experience.
Beſides, in preſenting you with this poore Treatiſe, I give you of your own (as I may truely ſay with the Prophet David, 1 Chron. 29.14. although not altogether in his ſenſe.) For am not I yours? as S. Paul tels the Corinthians, that himſelfe, and Apollo, and Cephas, were theirs: 1 Cor. 3.22. And by conſequent the iſſues of all my weake abilities, you may as juſtly challenge to be your own as the Maſter might claime the iſſues of the bondſlaves borne in his houſe, to be his: and as in true eſtimation it is ſuch, ſo I deſire you to accept it, as an acknowledgement (although in no proportion a ſatisfaction) of that great Debt which I owe unto you.
And, to ſpeake truth, it will be of ſpeciall uſe to you, to accompt this labour of mine, ſuch as it is, as your own, that you may ſo entertaine and embrace it, ſo uſe, husband, and employ it to your beſt advantage, as we uſe to doe thoſe things that are our own. For the chiefe reaſon wherefore the manifold helps, which God is pleaſed to afford us by the labours of other men, uſually profit us ſo little, is, becauſe men looke not on them as matters, wherein themſelves have a peculiar intereſt, and ſo neglect them, as we too uſually doe thoſe things which are of common and generall concernement.
As for the matter handled in this ſhort Treatiſe, I deſire you to take notice, that of all the Truths that I have delivered unto you, in ſo large a time of my Miniſtery, continued amongſt you, I have choſen this, above all other ſubjects, to recommend unto you in a more eſpeciall manner, and to leave with you as a memoriall of my tender affection towards you, for theſe two weighty reaſons. Firſt, becauſe this duty of ſtudying the Scriptures (whereunto this Treatiſe is intended as an help) is of all others of moſt generall concernement, and of moſt neceſſary and common uſe. Secondly, becauſe it hath pleaſed the Lord to caſt us into dangerous times, wherein ſome men endeavour, what they can, to bring the Scriptures into contempt, crying down that ſacred booke, as containing nothing elſe but a dead letter, and being a beggerly element, fit for none but the loweſt forme of Chriſtians. Others, that are unſtable and unlearned, (as the Apoſtle tearmes them, 2 Pet. 3.16.) wreſt them at their pleaſure, to their own deſtruction, and the endangering of their brethrens ſoules.
Let me, therefore, in the bowels of Chriſt, beſeech you (Brethren) as you ever hope to get any power of grace into your hearts, to have your ſpiritual life quickened, your comforts aſſured, and your wayes directed, to take heed to this Sure and Infallible word of Truth, as to a Light ſhining in a darke place, (as the Apoſtle ſpeakes, 2 Pet. 1.19.) as containing in it your Food, your Phyſick, your Evidences, your Comforts, your Armes, both for offence, and defence; and in a word, which is the very life of your Soules, the Light of your Vnderſtanding, the Director of your Wills, and the Moderator of your Affections.
Study this Word, which our Saviour tearmes Searching of the Scriptures, Iohn 5.39. which is done not by Reading them over curſorily, but by examining them diligently; comparing Scripture with Scripture, that we may know the full minde of God revealed therein, who many times layes not down the whole truth together in one place, but leaves us to take in ſome other clauſes, out of other places, to make up the full of that truth which hee would reveale unto us. For want of this care of laying Scripture to Scripture, many taking up the truth of God by parts, ground thereupon dangerous errours, wronging God in making him to ſpeake what he never meant, and overthrowing their own Faith, to the hazard of their owne Soules.
Of one thing we muſt be very carefull, that we bring with us our minds free, and not prepoſſeſt with any Opinion, which we have either framed in our owne phantaſy, or received from others: A mind foreſtalled by an erroneous conceipt, is no fit Judge of any Truth, or of any Teſtimony cōcerning Truth; but as coloured glaſſe tranſmits the light, and repreſents it to the eye infected with the ſame colour with which it ſelfe is dyed: Or as the taſte, diſtempered by ſome ill humour, reliſheth all things which it receives according to that humour with which it ſelfe is infected: ſo happens it with a minde prepoſſeſt with any phantaſie, it apprehends and judgeth of all things according to that opinion which it ſelfe hath entertained.
Laſtly, the Scriptures being in themſelves exceeding broad (to uſe the Pſalmiſts expreſsion, Pſal. 119.96.) that is, of large comprehenſion, and withall very myſterious, containing in them wonders, (as they are tearmed, ver. 18.) there needs, together with our reading, much Meditation upon what we have read, (as the ſame Prophet tells us, that he did meditate upon Gods Law all the day, Pſal. 119.97.) much conference, eſpecially with Miniſters, and other experienced Chriſtians, much uſe of learned mens writings, which give great light to the underſtanding of darke places in Scripture, which wee ſhall often meet withall: But above all, fervent and continuall Prayers, wherein acknowledging our owne blindneſſe, and inability, of our ſelves, to ſearch into the deep Myſteries revealed in the Word, (with Agur, Prov. 30.2, 3.) we beg earneſtly the aſſiſtance of Gods Spirit, to open our eyes, Pſal. 119.18. to make us to underſtand the way of his precepts, ver. 27. to give us underſtanding that wee may know his teſtimonies, ver. 125. being aſſured, that as there is no other meanes to reveale unto us the mind of God, but his Spirit, 1 Cor. 2.11. ſo God will not deny that help to thoſe that ask it, Iames 1.5. as his children finde by their owne experience, 1 Ioh. 2.27.
The publiſhing of this Treatiſe is, by the Providence of God, caſt into the laſt of my daies, perhaps, that you might lay neerer to your hearts, and more heedfully remember the laſt words and counſels of your dying Paſtor, as uſually the laſt directions and adviſe of dying Parents, or other neer friends, make a ſtrong impreſſion upon the hearts of thoſe to whom they are given: Withall ſeeing, being ſhortly to be taken from you, I ſhall be able to doe you no more ſervice, in mine owne perſon, I deſire to leave this monument behind me, that when I ſhall be ſeen no more, being dead I may yet ſpeake unto you, as Abel is ſaid to doe, Heb. 11.4.
And now (Brethren) I know you cannot but be very ſenſible of that ſad condition, into which you were lately reduced, when not onelyonly you ſuffered the ſpoiling of your goods, but your very lives did hang in doubt before you, and you feared day and night, having no aſſurance of your lives, as the Lord threatens it ſhould happen to his people, Deut. 28.66. And I deſire, that the memory of thoſe ſad times may be ſtill freſh in your minds, that your fleſh may ſtill tremble for the feare of God, and you may be afraid of his Judgements (to uſe the Pſalmiſts phraſe, Pſal. 119.120.) that obſerving for what evills the wrath of God was then kindled againſt you, you may the more carefully watch over your waies, for time to come, that you provoke not the Lord hereafter to powre out his indignation in ſome more fearefull judgement, whoſe hand you have found ſo heavy upon you in what you have felt already.
Notwithſtanding, I beſeech you withall, take notice of a mixture of many mercies, even with that heavy Judgement. As, firſt, that God gave you yet your lives for a prey, which is all the favour that he promiſed Baruch, Ier. 45.5. and that not onelyonly by preſerving you from the enemies ſword, but beſides by withdrawing his owne hand when the laſt yeare he called to contend by the Peſtilence, which brake in upon you ſeverall times and by ſeverall waies, and yet gleaned onelyonly a few amongſt you, here and there, at that time, when ſome other Townes were almoſt layed waſt by the ſame ſtroake of Gods hand, but the Lord ſtill repented him for this, and ſaid, it ſhall not be, Amos 7.3, 6.
Againe, though your eſtates were waſted, yet your dwellings were preſerved, that you might not bee as Sodome, or like unto Gomorrah, as ſome other places are: as it was often threatned, and as often really intended by your enemies, and had queſtionles been accordingly executed, had not the Lord by his Power and Providence almoſt miraculouſly prevented it, ſaying unto them as he doth unto the ſea, Job 38.11. Hitherto ſhalt thou come, and no farther, and here ſhall thy proud waves be ſtayed: as if God had reaſoned with himſelfe as he doth concerning his owne people, Hoſ. 11.8, 9. How ſhall I give thee up Ephraim? how ſhall I deliver thee Iſrael? how ſhall I make thee as Admah? how ſhall I ſet thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together, I will not execute the fierceneſſe of mine Anger, I will not returne to deſtroy Ephraim, for I am God and not man, &c.
Above all the reſt of Gods favours, mixed with thoſe judgements wch you lately felt; eſteeme not this as the leaſt, that although your Teachers have been driven into corners, yet they have been by Gods goodneſſe preſerved for your farther ſervice, and are now reſtored to you in ſafety, that your eyes behold them, and your eares heare their voice, ſhewing you the way that you ſhould walke in, when you turne aſide to the right or left hand; a mercy which God accompts ſufficient to ſweeten even the bread of adverſity and the water of affliction, Iſay 30.20. And even that want of them for a while, may be of ſpeciall uſe to you, to warne you to ſet an higher price on Gods Ordinances hereafter, and to anſwer them with proportionable fruits, leſt God bring upon you that heavy judgement, threatned againſt his owne people, the utter taking away of his Kingdome from them, to beſtow it on a people, that might yeeld him a better accompt thereof, Mat. 21.43.
As for the loſſes which you have ſuſtained in your outward Eſtates (which conſidering how long you were in the enemies hand, were leſſe then moſt other Townes have felt) if you ſuffer any hurt thereby, you have none to blame but your ſelves. If God by your owne experience ſhew you the vanity of theſe outward things, which we cannot hold when we have them, that availe not in the day of wrath, Prov. 11.4. that comfort us leaſt when we need it moſt, that too often prove ſnares unto us, while we enjoy them, and leave us nothing but ſorrowes when we loſe them, and thereby take off your hearts from loving and depending on them, that yee may take care to lay up your Treaſures in Heaven (as our Saviour adviſeth, Mat. 6.20.) out of the reach of thieves and plunderers, (which we may truely conceive to be the end that God aimed at in delivering you into the hands of ſpoylers and robbers) you may become great gainers by all your loſſes.
I know what carnall reaſon will ſuggeſt, that it ſtands you upon to bee now more earneſt in labouring with all diligence to repaire your loſſes; and it grieves my heart to ſee, that this counſel prevailes ſo much with many, that ſhould by this time have learned Chriſt better. Give me leave to lay before you a praecedent of your owne. About 34. yeares ſince, the Lord ſent upon this towne a fearefull fire, which conſumed the beſt part of it, the loſſe at an under value amounting to more then fourty thouſand pounds. What fell out thereupon? There met together about ſeven or eight well-affected perſons, and agreed to contribute in money, and annuities, out of their Lands, the ſumme of eight hundred pounds for the erecting of an Hoſpitall, for the ſetting of poore children on worke: The whole towne conſented to double their weekely rates for reliefe of the poore, enlarged their Churches, and reduced the towne into order by good governement: What gained they by all this? within the compaſſe of ſix or ſeaven yeares, God ſo poured out his bleſſings upon the place, that it was in that ſhort ſpace in better condition then it had been before that calamity fell upon them. Can you have a better argument then that, which is taken from experience among your ſelves? Or is there to bee found a ſurer or more comfortable way of making up your loſſes, then that which you found ſo ſucceſſefull then? Follow their ſteps, honour God with the firſt of your ſubſtance, which he hath left you, relieve his poore ſervants, ſet effectually upon the reducing of the towne to order by Government, God is ſtill the ſame God, and will not faile to ſupply you with ſuch eſtates as will be beſt and meeteſt for you.
I aſſure my ſelfe you want neither will, nor reſolution to ſet forward the workes, wherein Gods honour and the welfare of this place are ſo much concerned: OnelyOnly I deſire you to embrace the firſt opportunities, which the Lord ſhall put into your hand, to bring your purpoſes to effect. Say not with the people, Hag. 1.2. The time is not come, that the Lords houſe ſhould be built: Things of publike concernment ought to be our firſt and chiefeſt care, which when we labour to ſet forwards with all our power, we engage the Lord himſelfe, to take care of, and proſper our private affaires.
Now the Lord ſtirre up the ſpirits of you all as he did the ſpirits of Zerubbabel, and Ioſhuah, Zech. 1.14. to take his work in hand with ſpeed and courage, and be aſſured of the ſame ſucceſſe that theſe holy men found; and beſides honour to your ſelves, and comfort in your owne hearts at preſent, the entering into the Joy of your Lord hereafter, Mat. 25.21, 23. Which that you may doe, and finde, is, and ſhall be the prayer of
Your Humble Servant IOHN WHITE.