A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Second ſort of bewildring meanes, falſe Guides. 3. Falſe Guidances, Multitude, evill Magiſtrates, evill Ministers.
THe ſecond ſort of meanes of our bewildrings,2d. Sort of meanes, viz. falſe guides. are falſe Guidances. I ſhall Note but theſe particulars: The falſe Guidance of the tranſgreſſing multitude. Of bewildred great ones: of bewildring Miniſters: of profeſſing Hypocrites: of miſcarrying and miſguided Saints: of unſeaſonable Duties, and of miſtaken Graces; and laſtly, of wreſted Scriptures: In ſuch variety of ſeducing Guidances, it may well be eaſie for us to be led aſide.
1.1. The guidance of the tranſgreſſing Multitude. The great guidance that Satan improves unto the bewilding of ſingle and particular ſoules, is the erring Multitudes. Thus much that holy Caveat plainly imports, Exod. 23.2. Thou ſhalt not follow a multitude to do evill: neither ſhalt thou ſpeake in a Cauſe to decline after many to wreſt judgement. He ſeemes to ſpeake of the Corruption of Juries particelarly, if eleven be agreed, the twelth accords; though many times perhaps againſt his judgement. Now this he calls declining; that is, at turning out of the right way. In this particular, hee exemplifies that generall counſell, Thou ſhalt ſhalt not follow a multitude to doe evill. 'Tis very hard for a ſingle ſoule to goe on in a way of right, when a multitude goes wrong; or to ſee the right way, for the multitude of them that goe wrong. Now 'tis the Multitudes unhappineſſe, that that ever walke in the wayes of the Wilderneſſe. The way that leads to deſtruction, is the way that MANY find, Mat. 7.13. And their guidance gives this three-fold advantage to thoſe wayes, it renders them facile, faſhionable, and ſecure.
1. That makes the way facile.1. That way the Multitude goes in, becomes thereby a facile, or eaſily attained way. The way that the multitude of men walkes in, our Saviour calles it the broad way, Mat. 7.13.
It is hard indeed to break through an hedge, or to go over a ditch that no body hath done, or gone over before. But when a multitude goes any way, they render the way beaten, broad and facile. It is eaſie to finde the wayes of ſinne, for they are all beaten before unto us, and for our turne. Broad is the way that leades to deſtruction, therefore many find it; many find it, therefore broad is the way.
2ly, Faſhionable.2ly, The way of the Multitude is a faſhionable way. And 'tis ſtrange to thinke how much our hearts affect the faſhions, though fooliſh ones: ſo Eph▪ 2.2. In times paſt you walked according to the faſhion or courſe of this world, therefore (ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Pet. 1.14.) Not faſhioning your ſelves according to former luſts. The waies of former luſts, were faſhionable wayes, becauſe they were the Courſe of the World; that is, of the Multitude.
3ly, Secure.3ly, The way of the Multitude is therefore a ſecure way: A man will be a little ſhie of breaking through a field or paſture, &c. that he hath no footing or beaten way before him in; but when others have adventured before him, ſpecially when many have, he takes a great deale of boldneſſe to follow, though ſtill it bee a treſpaſſ…. 'Tis ſaid, Iſai. 41.7. That they helped every man his neighbour, and the Carpenter encouraged the Goldſmith, &c. That is, being many of them in the ways of ſinne, they confirmed one another, as you know its uſuall with Travellers in Winter-time, when many together commit a treſpaſſe. So the Alehouſe-keeper encourageth the drunkard, and the Maulſter the Alehouſe-keeper, and ſo in the other wayes of ſinne: and thus the guidance of the Multitude renders the waies of ſinne ſecure, thinkes the ſinner, I ſhall not be arreſt…d for going in a way that ſo many have gone before; but yet though facile, faſhionable, and ſecure, thou ſhalt not, ſaith God, follow a multitude to doe evill.
Second ſort of Guidance that Satan makes uſe of to bewilder ſoules,2. The falſe guidance of erring great ones. are the bewildred great ones of the World. Oh! what influence as to leading, hath a Landlord upon his Tenants, or a Lord in his Towne: they would go a better way, but that ſuch a great one goes ſo bad a way; they would have voted a better man to an Office, but that ſome man was Greater that was worſe. Oh! what a guiding thing hath ſuch a thing as a Kings example been?
Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis.
Who would not goe the way that he goes, without any more inquiry about it? 2 King. 4.18. The Lord pardon thy Servant, if when my Maſter leanes upon my hand and worſhips, &c. and I bow down my ſelf in the houſe of Rimmon, the Lord pardon me in this thing. Oh! ſaiſt thou, I love a faithfull Magiſtrate with mine heart; but why didſt thou not chuſe one then? truly, In this thing you muſt pardon me, I had a Maſter to chuſe, &c. Men thinke it pardonable to follow wicked mens wayes, if they be but Great mens wayes. Therefore 'tis ſaid, Iſa. 3.12. they which lead thee, cauſe thee to erre, and deſtroy the way of thy paths. Leaders then had need take heed what waies they ſet, and inferiors had need as much to take heed what leaders they follow. 'Tis ſaid that Aholah played the harlot with the Aſſyrians, which were cloathed with blew, Captains and Rulers, &c. Ezek. 23.5, 6. And that Aholibah was worſe then ſhe, becauſe ſhe doted on the Aſſyrians, Captains and Rulers &c. ver. 12. Now what's the note that God makes hereupon? ver. 13. Then I ſaw that they were defiled, and that they both took one way. Thus are men ready to dote upon great People, and doting upon them to take one way with them.
3. The falſe Guidance of ſome miniſters ſo called.Third ſort of Guidances that Satan makes uſe of to bewilder ſoules is Miniſters ſo called. And herein I dare not be ſilent, ſurely if Miniſters (that are pretious guides indeed whilſt they keep the way) once take the paths of the Wilderneſſe among the many that follow after them, many will be bewildred by them. Sad is that ſaying, Jer. 23.13. I have ſeen folly in the Prophets of Samaria (and if they be fools that ſhould bee Guides, what will become of the people now? he tells you) they propheſied in Baal, and cauſed my people Iſrael to erre. How's that? Cauſed them to Erre? what? their Prophets? Yea, ſad it was, yet ſo it was: and this is the beſt that comes of bad Miniſters, and yet that word is ſadder, Mich 3.5. The Prophets make my people to erre. I may tremble to think on't. Oh! there's a kind of neceſſity of peoples erring, when their Prophets therein become their Guides: as if God would ſay, or as if the people might have pleaded againſt them; We would not have erred, but that you made us erre. We would not have been ſo ſuperſtitious, but that Miniſters preſt ſuperſtition upon us: Wee would not have been ſo vain, and ſo jovial, but that our Miniſter uſed to be ſo himſelf, and to bear us company in doing ſo. &c.
There are three ſorts of ſoule-bewildring Miniſters.
1. A Miniſter that ſpeak ſomthing that is good,And 1. Such a Miniſter as ſaith but doth not. but walks himſelf exceeding ill: truly his exhorting them u…to good is as much as to bid them to do evill. I remember an Holy man amongſt other expreſſions of them (that I might refer to this Notion) compares them to ſpittle-men, or poſts ſet up in an high-way pointing to a great Road in a place of turning; Thoſe poſts are to point out the way to living travailers, but themſelves are dead trees, and though they guide others, yet they ſtand ſtill themſelves till they rot; and thoſe ſpittle-men uſe by their tongue and finger to guide and point others to the way, which they themſelves perhaps never went mile in: and theſe Miniſters though they be not quite ſo dumb as the Poſts, yet are they as lame as the ſpittle-men, and there they ſtand or ſit, whilſt they die and rot, for all they point others another way. Now what advantage is here for Satans improvement. If two be going to London, and one being a ſtranger be beholding to the guidance of the other, it's vain for him by the pointing of his rod, &c. to perſwade the ignorant perſon to go one way, as long as he ſees the Guide to go himſelf another way. Saith he, if you be for London, as you pretend to bee, and this be the way as you pretend it is; why doth your ſelf turn another? If you ſay ſobriety and godlineſſe, &c. are the way, why are you your ſelves drunkards and prophane; may wicked men ſay unto wicked Miniſters. Full to 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; OnelyOnly 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.