A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 1
CHAP. I. Containeth the Preface, ſenſe of the Text, reaſons of the ſenſe, Inſcription and parts of the diſcourſe, proofs of the firſt Doctrine, Explication and Application of it in the firſt branch; ſhewing the entrance into wilderneſs-ſin to be fair and facile.
Who is this that cometh up from the wilderneſs,Text. leaning upon her beloved? (the Text runs on) I raiſed thee up under the apple-tree, there thy mother brought thee forth that bare thee. Cant. 8.5.
THis Book is called The Song of Songs,Preface. then which is none more Rhetorical, none more Spiritual, teaching the ſoul to know Chriſt, and it ſelf, its whole duty: The whole buſineſs of the Canticles is to ſet forth what Chriſt is to the gracious Spirit, what the ſoul is to Chriſt; particularly what, Chriſt is in himſelf, what the ſoul is in it ſelf; what Chriſt hath done for the ſoul, what the ſoul ought to do for Chriſt; what affections there are in Chriſt to the ſoul, what affections there ought to be in the ſoul to Chriſt.
This Scripture imports in what condition the ſoul is without Chriſt, in what ſhe is ſtated by Chriſt;The ſenſe of the Text. ſhe is bewildred in her ſelf, ſhe comes out of the wilderneſs leaning upon Chriſt; That a ſinful, natural, unconverted condition is here figured by the wilderneſs, I urge from theſe three Particulars in the words.
Firſt,Reaſons of the ſenſe. (Her coming up from the wilderneſs) is made the direct, immediate, primary reſult and effect of her leaning upon Chriſt: I grant, coming out of the wilderneſs of miſery or affliction, to be alſo the iſſue of leaning upon Chriſt, but that is ſecondary, and becauſe of the former.
The holy Ghoſt alluſively, but lively, expreſſeth our ſtate of unconverſion; I raiſed thee up under the Apple-tree; as if he ſaid, firſt Eve, and after her Adam ea… of the Apple, and fell down dead under the tree (and ſo true was that, In the day thou eatest thereof thou ſhalt ſurely die) and there they muſt have lain to Eternity, unleſs [I] who am the reſurrection and the life, had raiſed them up from under the Apple-tree.
3. The holy Spirit doth interpret his intent to be the natural eſtate in which every ſon and daughter of Adam is born (there thy mother brought thee forth, there ſhe brought thee forth that bare thee.) This premiſed,
You ſee my work is Topographical to draw out the Map of the wilderneſs in the Text, the wilderneſs of unconverſion: The firſt thing will be to aſsign it an inſcription,Inſcription. before we give it a deſcription; you may finde the title of this Map, Exod. 17.1. ſo Numb. 33.12. The Iſraelites if they intend for Canaan, muſt journey from the wilderneſs of Sin: You'l ſay that name was accidental, I grant it, but if Canaan repreſent grace, why may not the wilderneſs repreſent ſin? It would be our wiſdom to warm our affections with every Scripture, even Hiſtorical, though they do not all alike ſtrongly binde our judgements: I mean, when the alluſion is nothing contrary to the analagy of Faith; I finde a place as accidentally called Salem, as this wilderneſs Sin, which yet the Apoſtle improves as high and higher then I do this, even to prove Chriſt to be the King of peace; compare Gen. 14.18. with Heb. 7.2.
The wilderneſs of ſin.We have found out the inſcription, Tis the wilderneſs of ſin, and ſo call it.
In the Maps that I have ſeen of the wilderneſs, which the children of Iſrael paſſed from to Canaan, theſe four things I have obſerved,Parts of the diſcourſe. which (God-willing) I ſhall follow: 1. You have a character of the place, ſituation, trees, wilde beaſts, length, breadth, &c. and this engageth me to deſcribe punctually this wilderneſs of ſin. 2. You have lines deſcribing all the circuitions, windings, turnings, returnings, croſſings, wandrings of the children of Iſrael in the wilderneſs, before they could get to Canaan; and this engageth to deſcribe the ſouls wandrings, while in this wilderneſs of ſin. 3. You have Moſes deſcribed upon Piſgah, turning his back upon the wilderneſs and pointing towards Canaan; this engageth me to diſcover what concernment lieth upon the ſin-bewildred ſoul to turn its back upon ſin, and ſet its face towards Heaven. 4. You have Joſhua ſucceeding Moſes, and leading the Iſrael of God quite from the wilderneſs into Canaan; and that engageth me to tell you, That what the Law could not do (in that it was weak) That God ſent his own Son to do, even Joſhua which is Jeſus, that he might turn us throughly from the ſtate of nature, and conduct us unto grace: Indeed Moſes repreſents our miſery whileſt in the wilderneſs, and points us out to a better condition; The Law is our School-maſter to bring us unto Chriſt, Gal. 3.24. but Chriſt our Savior to bring us unto God: According to which four concernments of the Map, you have theſe four obſervables in the words, naturally, I think, ariſing and clearly founded upon the words.
That ſin is a wilderneſs. Doct. 1
That a ſinful condition is a bewildred condition. Doct. 2
That it is the great concernment of the bewildred ſoul to Doct. 3 come up from the wilderneſs.
That there is no ſaving way of coming up out of the wilderneſs Doct. 4 of ſin, but onelyonly by leaning upon the Lord Jeſus.
In the firſt, You have the wilderneſs appearing.
In the ſecond, You have poor Iſrael wandring.
In the third, You have Moſes (on Piſgah) pointing.
In the fourth, You have Joſhua (that is, Jeſus) leading.
For the firſt,D. 1. Sin is a wilderneſs.
Sin is a wilderneſs, Canticles 3.6. Who is this that cometh out of the wilderneſs like pillars of ſmoak (in alluſion to Iſraels cloudy pillar) perfumed with all the precious ſpices of the Merchant? i. e. The ſoul intereſted in all the merits, and adorned with all the graces of Chriſt, is ſaid to come up out of the wilderneſs; ſurely the wilderneſs of ſin, Pſalm 74.14.Proofs. You have the accompliſhment of the promiſe made to Chriſt, Gen. 3.15. viz. the breaking of the Serpents head, and this (ſaith the Pſalm) for a people inhabiting the wilderneſs; ſurely he means poor Converts, ſouls that being once in the wilderneſs of ſin, were under the power, and in the Region of Leviathan, the crooked Serpent Satan, Luke 15.4.5, 6, 7. Chriſt hath a 100 that ate of the flock of Creation; one ſees his need of Chriſt in his loſt condition, the other 99 need no repentance; Chriſt regards the poor loſt undone ſingle ſoul, the other he leaves in the wilderneſs, chap. 4. that is, To die in their ſins, as he expreſly tells them, John 8.21. He means both of the ſelf-juſticiaries; more eſpecially, Eph. 6.11. That ye may ſtand, foreign, againſt the bewildrings of Satan, our Tranſlation reads wiles: A wily man is one whom you know not where nor when to have; he is ſometimes this way, ſometimes that, ſometimes neither of them both; and thus is ſin a wilderneſs.
Sin, wherein a wilderneſs.Sin is like a wilderneſs from firſt to laſt.
1. The firſt view and entrance into both, being fair and facile.
2. The paſſage and progreſs in both, diſmal and deſtructive.
3. The coming out of both difficult, and as to us deſperate.
1. Demonſt. The entrance and firſt view fair and facile.1. The entrance and firſt view is fair and facile, ready to tempt, and apt to deceive: The view of a flouriſhing Foreſt upon the ſhore from the ſea, is pleaſant and delightful, promiſing variety of pleaſant walks and refreſhing ſhades, and ſeemingly quiet and ſecure, no noiſe or roaring of the wilde beaſts, nor howlings of the Dragons is to be heard; whatever there is within, nothing appears without in view, but pleaſures and ſecurity: And theſe two may be thought to be the great temptations of the wilderneſs to draw men in.
1. Seeming pleaſures are th…re.Firſt, Seeming pleaſures, Jer. 23.10. The land is full of adultery, and becauſe of ſwearing it mourns; the pleaſant places in the wilderneſs are dried up: There are pleaſant places in the wilderneſs as to appearance, that tempt poor creatures into the wilderneſs, ſeeming pleaſure in adulteries, drunkenneſs, and ſo forth.
Secondly, The wilderneſſes men take to be ſecure places,2. Seeming ſecurity is there alſo. Sam. 4.19. before they try them: The poor Germans, and other nations in time of publique danger and calamity, to flie the enemy, have taken the Foreſts, and there have been deſtroyed of wilde beaſts: You know, men if they deſire to ſpeak what they would not have heard, or to do what they would not have ſeen, be take themſelves into Woods, Foreſts and Wilderneſſes, as accounting them ſecure; and ſurely wilderneſſes of Gods appointing are ſecure places, witneſs Rev. 12.6. however it fares with other wilderneſſes.
You ſee the two great temptations which make men love ſin before they try it:1. The pleaſures of ſin a temptation to ſin. pleaſures and ſecurity appear in the face of this wilderneſs of ſin, what ever lodgeth in the heart.
The firſt temptation carrieth the ſemblance of pleaſure in ſin; ſin ever deals like a deceitful cheat, who ſets the beſt ſide outward; juſt ſo doth the wilderneſs, Heb. 11.25. They are called The pleaſures of ſin for a ſeaſon; for the ſeaſon while you hear them ſpeak; O they promiſe you pleaſures for the ſeaſon you look upon them, before you throughly make trial of them: Oh! they look like pleaſures, pleaſures for a ſeaſon; juſt ſuch is the wilderneſs, irs that brings ſin its gueſts, Prov. 7.16. I have decked my bed, ſaith ſin; hence Paul, Tit. 3.3. We our ſelves alſo were fooliſh, ſerving divers luſts; (why?) he intimates, becauſe they took them for pleaſures, and expreſſeth, becauſe they were deceived; ſaith he, deceived, ſerving divers luſts and pleaſures.
The ſecond temptation into ſin is ſecurity:2. The pleaſures of ſin back'd with ſecurity. Men run into ſin farther and farther, that God, Law, Conſcience, Terror, may not finde them, may not ſee what they do, may not hear what they ſay, Pſalm, 10.9. You have a wicked man compared to a Lion (a wilderneſs beaſt) He croucheth like a Lion, Chap. 10. He ſaith, God will not ſee, chap. 11. wild beaſts in the wilderneſs have courage becauſe it is their place of ſecurity; ſo ſinners, Pſal. 64.5. They encourage themſelves in an evil matter (the reaſon is their ſecurity, for) they ſay, Who ſhall ſee them?
But what? Will the wilderneſs anſwer theſe expectations? Oh! certainly no; Inſtead of pleaſures, behold thorns inſtead of ſecurity, a Lions den: This is the deceitfulneſs of the wilderneſs, and this is the treachery of ſin.
1. Inſtead of pleaſures thorns.Firſt, A man expected pleaſant walks, but findes nothing but thorns, Judg. 8.7. you have mention of fleſh torn with the thorns of the wilderneſs; and I believe experiences can tell you, of conſciences torn with the thorns of ſin, chap. 16. with the thorns and with the briers of the wilderneſs, ſaith the Text, he taught the men of Succoth; ſo God will teach thee (O ſinner) with the thorns of ſin one day, what it is to ſin, Hoſ. 2.2. I finde the Church was a wilderneſs in the day ſhe was born, and I finde her running again into the wilderneſs, chap. 3. ſhe doth it upon great hopes of great advantage, chap. 5. ſhe meets with nothing but an hedge of thorns, chap. 6.
2. Inſtead of ſecurity, a Lions den.Secondly, Poor 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: Its 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 pleaſ…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. Ʋſe 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 Ʋſe 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.