A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Containes the third ſort of bewildring meanes, viz. Darkneſſe, with foure generall Conſiderations concerning ſoules bewildred therein, applyed.
Third ſort of bewildring meanes, viz. Darkneſſe.THird ſort of meanes of ſpirituall bewildrings, are ſpirituall darkneſſes. And nothing is more frequent then this in both kinds: You'l ſay, Thoſe that are bewildred, are uſually bewildred in the night: I'm ſure ſo it is with ſinners. They that are drunk n, are drunken in the night, 1 Theſ. 5.7. And ſo for other ſinnes: for a drunken ſinner, is a notable reſemblance of every bewildred ſinner, ſee Iſai. 19.14. They have cauſed Aegypt to erre, as a drunken man ſtaggereth. A drunken man cannot keepe the way, no more can erring Aegypt, a bewildred people, or perſon; they ſtagger out of the way, firſt on one hand, then on the other, and this is in the night; the dark gives advantage hereunto, ſo Ephe. 5.8. You were darkneſſe ſometimes, though now you are light in the Lord (therefore) walke (as who ſhould ſay, it's good walking now.) If our light be darkneſſe, ſure our walk will be a Wilderneſſe. Therefore if Paul turne ſinners from the power of Satan unto God, it muſt bee by turning them from darkneſſe to light, Act. 26.18. And if his Goſpel be hid in others, and they be loſt, it will be by Satans blinding their eyes, loſt the light of the glorious Goſpell ſhould come unto them, 2 Cor. 4.3, 4. Its Satans work then to caſts miſts, and fogges, and thick darkneſſe before the eyes of poore Creatures, and ſo to blind their ſouls.
Now what darkneſſe is in Naturalls,Or ignorance. Note. that ignorance is in Spiritualls: And as Darkneſſe bewilders Travelling perſons outwardly, ſo Ignorance bewilders travelling ſoules, Rom. 3.12. They are all gone out of the way: Why? What's the reaſon? verſe 11. There's none that underſtandeth, verſe 17. The way of peace they have not known: ſo Heb. 3.10. They do alwaie erre in their heart (and what's the reaſon ſtill?) and they have not known my waies.
Object. But will you ſay, if ignorance be the cauſe of ſoul-bewildrings, whence is it that ſo many that have much knowledge, and light enough to come out of the Wilderneſſe, keep there ſtill?
Solu. I deny that. There is not any ſoule that's in the wilderneſſe, that hath enough of true light to helpe it thence. Verily, all the notionall knowledge,Note and brain-light in the world, is little better then darkneſſe, if not darkneſſe according to that intimation of Chriſts, Mat. 6.23. If the light that is in thee be darkneſſe, how great will that darkneſſe be? and I would have you know, that all the knowledge the head can hold, is not enough to diſentangle the bewildrings of the heart.
The Phariſees could ſay, we ſee, they had ſooner got out of the Wilderneſſe, if they had been blind, as Chriſt tells them, Joh. 9.41. You have a ſtrange paſſage, Mar. 12. by the way, the Phariſees and Sadduces too were ſuch knowing men, hat they had exquiſite Obſervations upon the Scriptures, they could quote them, and gloſs upon them, and ſtart Queries about them, and notably diſcourſe out of them, as here verſe 19. Maſter, Moſes wrought thus, &c. Yet Chriſt tells theſe very Sadduces, verſe 24. You do erre not knowing the Scriptures. And here's enough in this one place, to prove all that I have ſpoken upon this account, together. You [that is, you Sadduces, that can quote Scripture, and argue out of it] do erre [that is, are out of the way] not knowing the Scriptures: Here ignorance, or ſpirituall darkneſſe, is made the very cauſe of ſpiritual be wildrings.
On this Theme, as mainly neceſſary, I ſhall ſomewhat inſiſt, and propound ſome particulars; and therefore I ſhall prepare my way with theſe more generall Obſervations,Four generall Conſiderations concerning ſouls bewildred in the da…k of ignorance. in number foure. Thoſe that are bewildred in the dark, they are they know not where, they go they know not whither, they ſtumble they know not at what, they fall they know not when: and thus it is with bewildred and benighted Sinners.
1. They are they know not where.1. They are they know not where. If you ſhould meet a bewildred Traveller on an Heath, or in a Forreſt, in a dark night, and ſhould aske him where he is? hee might ſay, I am here: here, yea but where is that? truly, muſt he ſay, I know not well where I am. Thus God demands, 1 Cor. 1.20. Where is the Wiſe? where is the Scribe? where is the Diſputer of this world? Where? Why? the wiſe man is at the Councill, you will ſay: the Diſputer is in the Schoole: the Scribe is at the Deske: Ah poore wretches, themſelves know not where they are, elſe why doth God aske the Queſtion: ſo likewiſe Iſai. 19.12. ſaith God, Where are the wiſe men &c. I will warrant you, they thought they could give a very full anſwer, a very faire and prudent account hereof, where they were, what they were doing, and how to come off, they thought, no doubt, they knew well enough: but, God knows, they know not. Let me aske you therefore, as God did Adam, Gen. 3.9. Adam, where art thou? Why, it may be thou wilt ſay, Lo here I am. Yea, but friend, where is thy ſoule? hap'ly thou maiſt ſay, my Thoughts, they are after my work, my buſineſſ…: mine Affections, they are after the world; my Heart, that is in my Coffers, my Compting-houſe, my Ware-houſe, my Work-houſe, on my Markets, in my Barne, on mine Harveſt; my marrow and ſtrength are yet in my bones, and my breath is in my noſtrills, and ſo (I thanke God) I am in a good thriving way, a way that I (and my friends) like well, and wherefore is it that you doe ſo queſtion me? Oh! but friend, Where is thy ſoule all this while?— my ſoule againe? — Yea thy ſoule; tell me truly, doſt thou know where thy ſoule is? thou telleſt me thy condition in reſpect of the world, but what is thy ſoules condition and eſtate towards God? I feare the moſt of you may be ready in heart to anſwer me, as Cain anſwered, being asked of God where his brother Abel was: I know not, ſaith Cain, am I my brothers keeper, Gen. 4.9. Where's my ſoule? I know not, am I my Soules keeper? I know I am the keeper of my Moneys, and Means, and I know where they are; but where my ſoule is, truly I know not, if there be ſuch a thing, I never knew that I was the keeper of it.
Secondly, Thoſe that are bewildred in the dark,2ly, The goe they know not whither. they goe they know not whither, Joh. 12.35. He that walketh in the dark, knowes not whither he goes: ſo 1 Jo. 2.11. He walketh in darkneſſe, and knoweth not whither be goes, becauſe the darkneſſe hath blinded his eyes: So he that walks in the Works of darkneſſe, knowes not whither he goes. The way may ſeem right unto him (as you have heard from Prov. 16.25.) but what the end is knows he not, for the end of thoſe waies is death. The young man, Prov. 7. went he thought to a carved bed, &c. but indeed he knew not whither he went, for he went as a bird that haſtneth to the ſnare, and knoweth not that it is for his life, ver. 23. So Drunkards drinke drunk, and Swearers blaſpheme, and Cheaters cozen, and Hypocrites dallie with, and prophane ones trample upon the things of God, and little do they know that all this is for damnation: ſo Prov. 5.6. Her waies are moveable, that thou canſt not know them. What, doth not the Drunkard, and Oppreſſor, and Adulterer, know his own way? No, he doth not, neither can hee know them. He knowes perhaps what they begin at, but where they end he knows not, whither they go he knows not, becauſe they are all of them in the darke. Alas! who knows the power of Gods wrath? Pſal. 90.11. Who knowes the infinity of his juſtice? who knowes how much ſinne deſerves? or how much the ſinner ſhall ſuffer? Sirs, then let me aske you this day, and let your Conſciences anſwer, Whither away ſo faſt? ſirs, where are you going, you that make ſuch haſt after your pleaſures, ſuch haſt to be rich? where are you going? to Hell or Heaven? to God or the Devill? Oh! where will you lye down at night? where will you lodge when you come to dye? you that are ſo haſty in your journey, that you can't ſtay to bait at a Lecture, where doe you think you ſhall lodge at night, that you make ſo much haſt now? That's a ſad demand, Iſai. 10.3. What will you do in the day of Viſitation, and where will you leave your glory? ſaith God. Sirs, every ones maſter ſinne is his glory; yea, though it be their ſhame: it is yet that which they glory in, as one in his Pride, another in his unrighteous Mammon, a third in his profuſeneſſe, &c. Every Traveller upon the Road of this World, hath a truſs behind him of that which hee counts his glory: but now let me aske you, yea rather God demands of you, and anſwer you him. Oh! where will you lay downe your Truſs at night? Oh! where will you leave your glory? You know where you tooke up your Honours, and upon what termes: you know where you took up your Eſtates, and upon what termes: whether with a good Conſcience, yea, or no: But oh! where will you leave them? leave them you muſt, nothing more ſure; but where? Why? with my Sonne thinks one in ſuch an Inheritance, and with my Daughter thinks another in ſuch a Portion: Thus in their inward thought, that their Houſes ſhall continue for ever, Pſal. 49.11. but verſe 13. This their way is their folly: thou fool, thou neither knowſt whither thy ſelfe, nor they are a going. In the darke thou haſt taken them up, in the darke thou ſhalt loſe them; in the darke it is that thou walkeſt, and whither thou goeſt thou doſt not know. Oh! let this Querie bee a ſtop to your ſpeedy courſe, and poſt-haſt in the darkſome Wilderneſſe. Often aske your ſelves this queſtion, when paſſion begins to get up, or any other Corruption, ô animula, Quo vadis? O my poore ſoule! whither is it that thou art now a going?
Thirdly, They that are bewildred in the darke,3ly, They ſtumble they know not at what, ſtumble at they know not what, Joh. 11.9. If any man walke in the day, he ſtumbleth not, becauſe he ſeeth the light of this world, verſe 10. But if any man walk in the night he ſtumbleth, becauſe there is no light in him.
And this you ſhall find expreſly of ſinne too, Prov. 4.19. The way of the wicked is as darkneſſe, they know not at what they ſtumble. Tell a wicked man that hee gets a fall, and a bruiſe by every ſinne, he knowes it not, he's not ſenſible of it. Ile mind you in a word or two, of what you ſtumble at, and tell me whether you have been ſenſible thereof or no: I remember God ſaith, Ezek. 3.20. If ſuch a one ſinne, and I lay a ſtumbling block before him. There's not a ſinner of you, but God hath laid ſtumbling blocks before you, and without all peradventure, you have ſtumbled over them, and yet I believe you have not known at what you have ſo ſtumbled. Ile inſtance therefore in two things. 1.Inſtance. Gods Works. 2, His. Word. God in his Works: Chriſt in his Word.
Firſt, Dark ſoules, and bewildred ſinners,1. In Gods providence. ſtumble at all Gods providences, and it know it not. I tell you, you ſtumble over your very Tables which your bread ſtands upon, over your very Beds that your bodies lye upon, over your very Houſes that you dwell in, &c. and this I feare you have not known, Iſai. 5.12. They (he ſpeakes of rich voluptuous ones) conſider not Gods works, nor the operations of his hands, and what's the reaſon, verſe 13. They are without knowledge (i. e. they are in the dark) and what of this? Why? they ſtumble and fall, and ſadly too, ſo as to riſe up no more; for verſe 14. Therefore Hell hath enlarged her ſelfe, and opened her mouth without meaſure, and their glory, and their multitude, and he that rejoyceth, ſhall deſcend into it. Doe you think that joviall ſinners, think that Gods providences are ſuch a ſtone of ſtumbling? No, they have no knowledge thereof. There are ſome that fancie, that Sunne, Moon, and Stars, preach Chriſt, I am farre from thinking, that Creation, or providence alone, are enough to be a Jacobs Ladder, to lead us up to Heaven: but thus much I know, that they are too many as a ſtone to ſtumble at (who know not that the goodneſſe of God (in them) ſhould lead us to repentance, Mercies.(as Rom. 2.4. Thou ſtumbleſt at the Globe of the Sunne, or of the Moon, that diſhonoureſt God by day, or by night, under the light of the one, or influences of the other.
Yea, other ſorts of providential Diſpenſations there are, as Corrections; and at theſe the darkned and bewildred ſoules ſtumble:Chaſtiſements if they be not as ſtaires to help them nearer unto God, they will be as ſtumbling ſtones over which they fall, and on which they ſhall be broken, ſee Iſai. 1.5, 6. Why ſhould they be ſtriken any more? they will revolt more and more: it followes, the whole head is ſick, and heart is heavy; from the ſole of the foot to the crown of the head, there is nothing but wounds, and bruiſes, and putrified ſores. Oh! who ſees not what ſtumbling here hath been? Sirs, the day is comming, when you ſhall know that upon every Affliction whereby you have not riſen to more holineſſe, and faith, and obedience, &c. You have ſtumbled, to wit, the day wherein you ſhall be made ſenſible of the wounds and bruiſes that now are in your Conſciences; but now you are in the heat of blood, the heat of ſinne, and like wounded Souldiers, go on ſtill without feeling it.
Secondly, Bewildred & benighted ſinners,2ly, Gods word, and at Chriſt therein ſtumble at the Word of God, and at Jeſus Chriſt in that word, yet know it not. In every Sermon, where Chriſt is revealed and tendred, they ſtumble at him; and you may ſay of theſe, as of thoſe that Crucified him, himſelfe ſaid, That they know not what they do. Peter tells you, 1 Pet. 2.7. That to them that believe Chriſt is precious, but unto them that are diſobedient, verſe 8. he is a ſtone of ſtumbling, and a Rock of offence, even to them which ſtumble at the Word, as 1 Cor. 1.23. Chriſt crucified to the Jews, is a ſtumbling block. OnelyOnly now take heed that it be not with you, as with one that gets a fall when he is drunk, and feels it not till he be ſober: therefore give glory to God, before your feet ſtumble on the dark mountains, Jer. 13.16.
Fourthly, Bewildred and bedarkned ſinners,4ly, They fall they know not when. fall they know not when; ſuddainly, or ever they are aware. It is not unuſuall in this wildernerſſe, for ſoules to ſtumble upon a Lyons Den, and to fall into it, not thinking of it: Joviall and merry at an Al…houſe to day, and dead and damned in Hell at night. I believe when the foole was that night caſt into Hell, he could not but be in a more ſad extaſie than one that ſhould of the ſuddaine tumble into a Lyons Den. Ah! Lord, what am I here? am I here Lord? — What in Hell? in Hell? I dream't not of it. Alas my Brethren, now adayes, as Solomon ſpeakes, becauſe ſentence is not ſpeedily executed againſt an evil work, therefore the hearts of the Sons of men are fully ſet in them to do evill, Eccleſ. 8.11. But faire and ſoftly, perhaps more ſuddainly then thou art aware of, Jer 51.8. Babylon is ſuddainly fallen. Marke, her fall is ſuddaine to her, ſhee knowes not of it, down ſhe goes, and is not aware of it. We would have healed her, Note.but ſhe would not be healed, verſe 9. God commonly ſnatches ſoules that are under healing Diſpenſations,, and refuſe to be healed, ſuddainly away. So God threatneth to ſend a Deſtroyer (as a Lyon of the Forreſt, that falls ſuddainly upon his prey) to fall ſuddainly upon them, Jer. 15.8. Becauſe they had gone away from God, verſe 6. Thus Iſa. 47. They were perverted, verſe 10. therefore, ſaith God, evill ſhall come upon thee, that thou ſhalt not know whence it riſeth, and miſchiefe that thou ſhalt not be able to put off, and deſolation ſhall come upon thee ſuddainly that thou ſhalt not know. So likewiſe, Iſa. 30.10. You have them turned out of the way, and verſe 11. truſting in ſuch perverſeneſſe; verſe 12. and therefore iniquity (ſaith God) ſhall be to you, as a breach ſwelling in an high wall, ready to fall, whoſe breaking forth commeth ſuddainly at an inſtant. Oh! if it had not been ſo ſuddaine, the people might have eſcaped out of the houſe. So if they had not gone to Hell in ſuch a moment, ſuch an unexpected moment, they may imagine they would have prevented it. But hee that is bewildred in the darke, falls hee knowes not when. Oh! firs, if you might die of Conſumptions, (which you ſay are fine repenting times) if you might know of death ſome years before hand: Oh! you think you would be ready then: but this ſuddaine, ſuddaine falling that you ſhall not know of, whence or when it ſhall be, yet it certainly ſhall be, let this ſtartle you.
In one word or two then from what I have this day been ſpeaking.
Is it ſo, that ſoules are uſually ſo blind, becauſe of ſpirituall darkneſſe,Vſes of theſe generall conſiderations. that they know not where they are, whither they are a going, what it is they ſtumble at, and are alſo ready to fall they know not when? Oh then,
Firſt, Admire the exceeding mery of the Lord, that he ſhould ever, (as at this day) ſend a guide with a light in his hand unto thee, ſo bewildred in the dark, Luk. 1.78, 79. Through the tender mercy of our God, the day-ſpring from on high hath viſited us (that's Chriſt in the Goſpell) to give light to them that ſit in darkneſſe, and in the ſhadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Oh! that was tender mercy indeed, let it be tenderly accepted by you.
Secondly, Let it be as carefully improved. Let not an hard heart loſe the ſweetneſſe of ſuch tender mercy. My Brethren, Chriſt is come in the dark unto you, into the Wilderneſſe, he hath bruiſed himſelf, and pricked his own feet: yea, even pierced them through in comming to you, and that he might bring you a light, and lead you into the way that you have loſt. Is it a ſmall thing to you, that he ſhould appoint this, and that man to ſhew you the way of ſalvation? as they ſay, Act. 16.17. if it be, yet think it not a light matter, that the light himſelfe is come to bee your guide: Chriſt is come into the darkſome wilderneſſe of the wicked World, and now take heed of loving your darkneſs rather then light, for Jeſus himſelf ſaith, Joh. 12.35, 36. Yet a little while the light is with you, walk whilſt you have the light, leſt darkneſs come upon you: for he that walketh in the dark, knows not whither he goes. While ye have light, believe in the light, that you may be Children of the light.
Thus have you heard in ſome generall Conſiderations, how bewildring ſpirituall darkneſſe is: I ſhall conclude them with an Obſervation from the form of the expreſſion, Jer. 2.31. Have I been a Wilderneſſe to Iſrael? a land of darkneſs? When ever Satan leads you into a Land of Darkneſſe, he leads you therein into a Wilderneſſe. Thus in the generall.