A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Contains the general proof of the point, and begins the Induction of Particulars. Firſt Particular, We are conceived and born in the wilderneſs of Sin, proved and applyed.
HAving proved ſin a wilderneſs, Come we now to enquire, who they are that are bewildred: Our Text tells you, All that have not yet come unto, nor yet leaned upon (that is, ſavingly believed in) the Lord Jeſus Chriſt: And therefore our ſecond Doctrine tells you;
That whoever thou art, for perſon or quality in the world, Doct. 2 Every unregenerate ſtate is a bewildred eſtate.that art yet in an unconverted and unbelieving ſtate: Thou art yet in a bewildred eſtate and condition, and ſin is a wilderneſs unto thy ſoul.
I ſay whoſoever thou art, yong, old, high, low, rich, poor, living or dying, thou art in a wilderneſs.
This I ſhall firſt prove, and then open; I ſhall prove it firſt in General, then by Induction of Particulars: I ſhall open it by declaring what advantages ſatan hath, what pains he takes, what means he makes (and are made) uſe of unto the bewildring of poor ſouls. Of theſe in order.
Proof. General.Firſt, Then for proof of the point in General; viz. That all unconverted ones, are ſpiritually bewildred ones, even loſt in the wilderneſs of ſin: Hear what the Pſalmiſt ſaith, and the Apoſtle from him: When God looked down from heaven, to take a view of men on earth, to ſee if any, if any I ſay, ſought after God: Hear Gods own language, Pſalm. 14.2, 3. They are all gone aſide: And what is that but to be bewildred? And hence the Apoſtle concludes all, Jew and Gentile, one and another, to be under ſin (which you have heard proved a wilderneſs) Rom. 3.9. None better, no not one, ver. 12. How emphatically doth he expreſs it? now ſee how amply he proves it.
He proves firſt, That they are a wilderneſs, and that in all maner of latitude: They are altogether become unprofitable, ver. 12. and what fitter character for a wilderneſs?
He proves next, That they are in a wilderneſs, and that in as great a latitude.
And that firſt, By ſhewing that they are gone out of the right way; They are all gone out of the way, ver. 17.
Secondly, by declaring, That being out of it, they have neither wiſdom nor knowledge to finde it any more; for, The way of peace they have not known, ver. 17.
Thirdly, By giving an account of the ways they are gone into, which is the very character that I have, from Scripture, given you of the waies of the wilderneſs of ſin; Deſtruction and miſery are in their waies, ver. 16. And I pray, What are waies of deſtruction and of miſery, if the ways of the wilderneſs be not? Now then as the Apoſtle ſpeaking puts us altogether, let us put all that he hath ſpoken together: They are, ſaith he, whether Jew or Gentile (ver. 9.) gone out of the way (ver. 12, and know no more the way in to peace (ver. 17.) but inſtead of that way, are in the ways of miſery and deſtruction, (ver. 16.) and now, my Friends, Believe you that this is Scripture? I know that you believe: This you have God frequently complaining of Ezek. 2.3. They and their fathers have tranſgreſſed; of which word, this is the plain Engliſh: They have both father and childe, one and another, gone aſide out of my ways; then he purſues his complaint againſt the ſame perſons, and calls them bryars and thorns, and ſcorpions, which are all of the wilderneſs (as you have already heard) Though bryars and thorns be with thee, and thou dwelleſt among ſcorpions, yet be not afraid, ver. 6. but ſpeak my words unto them, ver. 7. as who ſhould ſay, I have ſent thee as a voice to cry in the wilderneſs, but be thou not afraid. My friends, I deſire to ſpeak it with grief of heart, as the truth of God; there is not one ſoul of you that is out of Christ but it is in the wilderneſs, that deſtructive and miſerable wilderneſs of ſin: There is not a ſoul amongſt you that lives out of Christ, but it lives in that wilderneſs; that dies out of Christ, but it dies in that wilderneſs; and for this, Oh! that my head were fountains! that this ſhould be heard of and ſpoken of, and ſo much concern every man, and yet no man lay it to heart!
Secondly,2. Proof by induction of particulars. I ſhall conclude all unregenerate ſoules under theſe ſpiritual bewildrings, by induction of particulars.
You have heard that murmuring and unbelieving Iſrael came ſhort of Canaan: 'Tis the Apoſtles phraſe concerning all unbelieving ones, That they all are come ſhort of the glory of God, Rom. 3.23. and this you ſhall finde ſadly true, begin or end where you will, from the childe in the womb and cradle, to the aged in the litter and on the beer; if not in Christ, then in the wilderneſs; if ſhort of Christ, then ſhort of Canaan: The familiar expreſſion of that Prophet, who was ſo much in parables, is a wilderneſs, or foreſt to expreſs the world, Ezek. 17.24. You have mention of high trees, and low trees, of dry trees, and green trees there; and ſo it is: In the wilderneſs, are all ſorts of trees; in ſin, are all ſorts of perſons: You have maſculine and feminine among the trees, you have yong and old, ſound and rotten, cedars and ſhrubs, flouriſhing and verdant, and …ea… and withered, and yet all wilderneſs-trees ſtill: O how is ſin a wilderneſs! Here are ſome but ſprigs, new come out from the earth, ſome but ſmall and of a little growth, of an hand, of a ſpan, of yard high; ſome taller, ſome full grown, ſome over-grown, ſome ſixty, ſome an hundred years old, yet all in the wilderneſs: Some are men, ſome women; ſome are rich and ſappy, ſome poor and without ſubſtance; ſome flouriſhing under forms of godlineſs, ſome as withered trees, not ſo much as a leaf of profeſſion upon them, but all in the wilderneſs of ſin ſtill.
I ſhall begin with the childe in and from the womb, and obſerve him till he comes to the grave.
1. We are conceived and born in the wildernes of ſin.Firſt, The childe is conceived in the deſert, and brought forth in the wilderneſs, by the carnal conception and natural birth: If you look unto conception, 'twas in the wilderneſs, or elſe you muſt deny this point, That ſin is a wilderneſs, or that which I am not afraid to reckon among fundamentals, Pſalm 51.5. Behold I was ſhapen in iniquity, and in ſin did my mother conceive me.
If you look unto your birth, 'tis in the deſert; reade but from our Text to the end of the verſe, There thy mother brought thee forth, whoever ſhe was that bare thee. Friends, where doth the wilde Aſs bring forth her colt? Is it not in the wilderneſs? where that is brought forth, is man born, Job 11.11. Man is born like a wilde aſſes colt: compare Ezek. 16.4, 5. with Deut. 32.9. where God ſpeaks of the ſame Iſrael at the ſame time; In the day that thou wast born (in Ezek.) thou waſt caſt forth in the open field, and there I ſpied thee; and (ſaith he in Deut.) I found thee in the waſte howling wilderneſs: ſo then to be born in ſin, is to be born in a wilderneſs.
A ſign hereof in the ſufferings and death thoſe rendings of little babesIf you require a ſign, and will not otherwiſe believe: O look upon your ſick and ſorrowful little Babes! Are they not ſometimes torn a ſunder in the birth? are they not prickt to the heart with pains, ſometimes as ſoon as born? are they not rent with convulſion fits? Did not Davids firſt-born by Bathſhebah, die when newly born, as well as Abſolom full grown? If you ſee a mans face and hands all ſcratched, nay if you find him bloody and torn to pieces, limb from limb, and perhaps half, or almoſt all devoured; will you not ſay that he might thank the thorns and the ſavage beaſts of the wilderneſs? Oh! that I could never look upon my ſick childe, but with mine heart full of grief for mine original wilderneſs-tranſgreſſion! ſurely theſe rendings are from thoſe thorns.
Firſt, Then from hence take a view of thy birth-condition;Uſe hereof, 1. As to our ſelves. I would preſent it to you to the ſame end, that God did to them, Ezek. 16. That you might look upon your perſons as they were in the day of your birth, and loath them; and upon the bowels of the Lords compaſſion towards you in that day, and admire them: ſurely you cannot ſufficiently do the one or the other, and for my part, I think that he was never ſavingly humbled, that hath not been humbled to purpoſe for original-bewildrings: I cannot but deny their converſion, that dare deny original tranſgreſſion.
Secondly, From hence take a view of thy poor children:2. As to our little babes. you uſe to look upon your children as ſoon as born, Oh! look upon them as born in the wilderneſs! where the wilde Aſs hath brought forth her colt, there haſt thou brought forth thy childe; and canſt thou finde in thine heart to leave it there? O pitty, pitty the fruit of thy loyns, and of thy womb! You'l count it an argument of a whoriſh woman, that ſhall be ſo unnatural as to go into a deſert to bring forth, and ſhall then leave her childe there: You have choſen to bring forth your children in the wilderneſs, whereas you might have brought forth in Paradiſe, had not Eve your mother been in the tranſgreſſion, and led Adam alſo into that wilderneſs: O tremble to think of leaving them where you bear them!
You'l ſay, What can we do for our little babes? what are they capable of? Why, as ſoon as they are born, you can waſh, and cloath, and feed their bodies, that are not bewildred; and can you do nothing for their bewildred loſt ſouls? you cannot counſel, or inſtruct, or correct them, they are not capable, but yet you may pray them out of the wilderneſs. Learn of Hannah, ſhe had a way to bring her ſon to Zion, to the Temple, to the Lord, 1 Sam. 1.11. (by ſupplication) from the womb, and (by dedication, or giving up to God) from the breaſts, ver. 28. Take thy childe from the wilderneſs, 'tis better carrying it to the temple.