A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Containeth the third Branch or Evidence of the first Doctrine, ſhowing that the coming out of the wilderneſs of ſin is difficult, and (as to our own power) deſperate.
Third evidence. The coming out of the wilderneſs difficult and deſperate.YOu have ſeen ſin like the wilderneſs, both in its firſt view and entry, and in its further diſcoveries and progreſs: We come now to the third; Sin is a wilderneſs to the laſt, as well as from the firſt. Therefore,
Thirdly, The coming out of the wilderneſs is difficult and deſperate, ſo is the coming out of ſin.
I may ſay
—Facilis deſcenſus eremi;
Sed revocare gradus—
Hic labor, hoc opus est.
'Tis eaſie (Friends) to finde the way into the wilderneſs, and into ſin, The Iſraelites were ſoon gotten into the wilderneſs Exod. 13.20. I believe they were not forty hours in getting into it, but they were forty years in getting out of it: Adam & his poſterity were in a few hours got into ſin, Adam and his poſterity are not to this day got out of it: There were not many hours from the Creation before we were all bewildred in ſin, Gen. 3.6. There are thouſands of years ſince the Creation, and yet are not we got out of ſin: The way of life is ſoon loſt, and miſt of, but it it is not ſo quickly found again. There are theſe things conſiderable in the wilderneſs, which make the coming out of it difficult and deſperate, and the ſame too truly hold in ſin: The wilderneſs is great, this great wilderneſs is full of divers ways, theſe various ways are perplexed, theſe perplexed ways are uneven, theſe uneven ways are dark, theſe dark ways are thorny, and theſe thorny ways encloſed; and ſo exactly is it with the ways of ſin.
Firſt,Becauſe Firſt, The wilderneſs is great. The coming out of the wilderneſs is d…fficult and deſperate, becauſe of the greatneſs and immenſity of the wilderneſs; were the wilderneſs never ſo thick and thorny, if it were but ſmall and little in ſpace, one might the better make his way out of it, as in our woods and groves; but that which renders the wilderneſs ſo terrible, is becauſe it is ſo great: This is that taken notice of, Deut. 1.19. We went through all that great and terrible wilderneſs, and Deut. 8.15. Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderneſs: The wilderneſs is great in length, and great in breadth, and therefore when one is in the wilderneſs, he may go forward, and yet be in the wilderneſs, to the right hand, and yet be in the wilderneſs, to the left hand, and yet be in the wilderneſs; to the eaſt, weſt, north, ſouth, backwards and forwards, whither ſoever he turn, all is wilderneſs; and thus it is with ſin: Sin is wider, greater, and m…re terrible by far then the wilderneſs; Wide and broad is the way that leads to deſtruction, Matth. 7.13. therefore ſaith our Savior, ſo few finde the way out of it: Would you know the extent of this wilderneſs? 'tis in a word, as wide as the world, the whole world is a wilderneſs of ſin, Eaſt, Weſt, Europe, Aſia, &c. Ireland, England, City, Countrey; if a man could leave ſin behinde him in any place, and not finde a new part of the wilderneſs whither ever he goes, he might have ſome hope of getting out of it; but Caelum non animum mutant, they carry this wilderneſs with them where-ever they go, yea they finde it where-ever they come, and how ſhould they then get out of it? 1 John 5.19. The whole world lies in wickedneſs: Is not this a great wilderneſs? yea, but ſin is yet a greater wilderneſs, 'tis as large as the heart of man, which is much larger then the world, Gen. 5.6. All the imaginations of the heart of man are onelyonly evil continually; he thinks of this, and ſins; of that, and ſins; and where-ever his heart turns, it turns but like a man in the wilderneſs, from one part of it to another; he goes forward and yet ſins, Iſa. 30.1. They adde ſin to ſin, as thoſe that adde drunkenneſs to thirſt: They go backward and yet ſin, tracing over their former wandrings, and are as a dog returning to his vomit, and a fool to his folly, Prov. 26.11. They go to the left hand, and grow covetous, and to ſin; they were prophane, they grow hypocritical, and ſo both on the right hand and left, turn off from the way of God, Iſa. 30.21. ſo that as one in the wilderneſs having gone far (and ſome they ſay, having gone forty days journey in the Hercynian Foreſt, have yet come unto no end) hath yet room enough to wander ſtill, and to go on yet again; ſo men having been ſinners, and in this wilderneſs forty, yea threeſcore years, have yet new parts of the wilderneſs to wander in, new diſcoveries of ſin to make ſtill, and ſay of every morning as he, Prov. 23.35. When I awake, I will ſeek it yet again.
1. The wil…erneſs full of various waysSecondly, The wilderneſs is ſo full of divers paths, that its hard to finde the way out of it: There's the way to the Lions den, and the way to the Leopards mountains, Cant. 4.8. there's the way to the habitation of Dragons, Iſa. 55.7. and there be many other deadly tracts in the wilderneſs (though not a living way amongſt them all) thus is it with ſin alſo; There's the way of the fool, Prov. 12.15. and the way of tranſgreſſors, Prov. 13.15. and the way of the wicked, Prov. 12.26. and the way of the ſlothful, Prov. 15.19. and the way of a man with a maid, Prov. 30.19. and the way of an adulterous woman, Prov. 30.20. and the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteouſneſs, 2. Pet. 2.15. and many more ſuch ways; and if all theſe ways, with the reſt of the paths of ſin, be not enough to make a wilderneſs, judge ye: This is that then that makes the coming out of ſin ſo exceeding difficult, the exceeding diverſity of ways that are in ſin: A man, you ſay, may change his path, and yet keep the way; a man may much more change his way, and yet keep the wilderneſs: Thus many are converted, not from ſin to God, but from one ſin to another; and many think they have left their ſins, when they have onelyonly changed their ſins. 'Tis the diverſity of lusts that deceives ſouls, Tit. 3.3. 'Tis the diverſity of lusts that leads away ſilly ſouls, 2 Tim. 3.6. In theſe our days, what are many (that thinks themſelves Converts and Saints now, and count that themſelves were ſinners before) but turned from the luſts of the fleſh to the lusts of the minde? (for there is ſuch variety ſpoken of Eph. 2.3.) that turn from licentious practices to licentious principles: thus doth Satan turn men from carnal converſation to carnal profeſſion; and this is the policy of the harlot ſin, leaſt thou ſhouldſt ponder the path of life, (that path is but one) her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. Prov. 5.6. The ſinner when he is weary of one path, hath another way to recreate himſelf in; from the Ale-houſe to the Game-houſe, and from the Game-houſe to the Whore-houſe; from groſs ignorance, to groſs ſuperſtition; from groſs prophaneneſs, to groſs formality; and from groſs formality, to groſs preſumption: thus hath he many ways to ſatisfie his hearts luſt with, that he may enjoy his fill of ſin; yea, and if he love to wander in this wilderneſs, he ſhall have his fill of the wilderneſs before he get out of it: The backſlider in heart, ſhall be fill'd with his own ways, Prov. 14.14.
Thirdly, Though there be ſo many ways,3. The wilderneſs ways are entangled and perplexed. yet this is not all, but theſe ways are all of them perplexed: Many ways meet together, and croſs one another, and you by them are put into ſuch a confuſion, as that you know not indeed which is which, Exodus 14.3. Pharaoh will ſay, they are intangled in the wilderneſs: It ſeems the wilderneſs is an intanglement to our ways, and is it not ſo with ſin? Theſe are called (as we hinted at firſt) foreign, the bewildrings; it ſignifies the intricate windings and turnings of Satan: we reade it, the wiles of Satan, not impertinently, Eph. 6.11. as a wily man that moves backwards and forwards, to and again, hither and thither, and you ſay you know not what to make of him: Thus doth ſin hurry the ſoul ſometimes forward, ſometimes backward; ſometimes it turns the ſoul round, and yet brings it where it was at firſt, ſo that the ſoul is quite bewildred, thinks it ſhould know that way again, yet cannot tell; thinks it hath changed its condition, yet cannot tell, till by and by Satan brings it round into the ſame ſin, and then it findes that it is in the ſame wilderneſs; therefore Prov. 5.6. Her ways are moveable; ways, there's the number; movable, there's the nature; viae verſatiles, wily ways: Sometimes they ſeem right unto a man, as Prov. 14.12: at the beginning of the verſe; ſometime they ſeem the ways of death, as at the end of the verſe: In theſe is the ſoul intangled, and hence it proves ſo difficult to get out of the wilderneſs of ſin: I could ſpend much time in inſtancing in the wilyneſs of this wilderneſs; one word for many, Satan makes ſome believe they ſhall ſurely be damned, and therefore they think they may ſin as they liſt; Satan makes ſome believe they ſhall ſurely be ſaved, and therefore they think they may ſin as they liſt: here are different pathes, yet both leading into the ſame way; here is the wilineſs of temptations, theſe are the entanglings of this wilderneſs: Its no leſs then a miracle that any ſoul ſhould ever get out of it becauſe of them.