A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Old Age a wilderneſs to the unregenerate, opened and applyed.
SIxthly, The unregenerate aged ones are yet bewildred:6. Old ones unregenerate act as old trees, rotting in the wilderneſs. and even old age a wilderneſs unto their ſouls. Theſe are the trees of the wilderneſs of 60. 90. 100. yeers old. Verily I was much affected when I ſpake of your babes as born in the wilderneſs; but oh! how ſhall I ſpeak unto thee who art already rotten, and every day falling to duſt in the wilderneſs of ſin? you have a phraſe for an old man, that he hath one foot in the grave; oh! how ſad a caſe is he in when both feet are in the wilderneſs? 1. If you call him a tree in the wilderneſs, oh! how unfit is he now to be tranſplanted? 2. If you call him a travailer in the wilderneſs, oh! how unfit is he to go thorough thoſe uneven and ſtumbling wayes, that ſcarce can creep in a plain way? Mine heart akes to think of your hoary heads, and unregenerate hearts. Your heads as white as a Dove, your hearts as black as a Raven. You'l ſay of a grave and ſnowy-bea…ded ancient one, there goes a fine old man: 'tis ſo indeed, and onelyonly ſo, when his heart is as holy as his head is white, Prov. 16.31. The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteouſneſs. Tis that that makes it ſo. A crown is a very glorious thing indeed, but there are but few of them. An old man walking in the wayes of righteouſneſs, is a glorious fight; oh! that I could ſee more of them. But mark, If it be found in the way. It ſeems old men are not ordinarily in the way, and they that are out of the way are in the wilderneſs. Now 2. if he be found in the way with a hoary head, what then? why? then he is a Crown. But how and if he be found in the wilderneſs, and his gray hairs be found in ſin? why, then he is a curſe, Pſal. 65.20. A ſinner of an hundred yeers old ſhall be accurſed. A wilderneſs tree of an hundred yeers old, is a curſed tree. 3. If it be found in the way; who ſhould finde whether he be or no? hath he been lurking ſo long in the wilderneſs, and muſt he now be found out? yes, God will finde what wayes you walk in; and be you as crafty as an old Fox, yet God will finde your haunts in the wilderneſs. Sutable is that Job 14.16. Thou numbreſt my ſteps, thou watchest over my ſin. Thou haſt forgot, but God can reckon how many ſteps thou haſt taken in the wilderneſs. Oh! that we could alwaies ſo walk, as alwaies remembring that we ſhall be found in what wayes we are walking. Happy are you young ones that are found ſo doing, and you hoary heads, if you be found in the way of righteouſneſs.
And doubly bewildred muſt the aged ſinner needs be, partly in the remembrance of younger yeers,In two reſpects. partly in the infirmities of his old age.
1 His yonger yeers bewilder him. 1. Youth-vanities.1. His younger yeers muſt needs be now a wilderneſs unto him, as to their vanity, their guilt, their abiding iniquity.
1. How can he chuſe but be loſt in his own ſpirit, when he looks back, and thinks of the emptineſs, vanity, and diſſatiſfaction of all his youthful courſes? ſure when he ſees all the works which he hath done under the Sun, he muſt ſay as Solomon, Eccleſ. 2.14. All is vanity, and vexation of ſpirit. Yea, will he or nill he, this ſhall be; for the evil dayes ſhall come wherein he ſhall ſay, I have no pleaſure in them, Eccl. 12.1.
2. How can he chuſe but be loſt in his own conſcience, when he looks back upon his youth-ſins and ſtrength-ſins?2. Youth-guilt. The pleaſures of ſin bewildred him then; the horrors of ſin amaze and bewilder him now, Job. 13.26, 27. Thou writeſt bitter things against me (ſaith holie Job) thou makeſt me to poſſeſs the ſins of my youth, thou lookeſt narrowly to all my paths. God (that looks ſo to thy pathes all thy life) will by his writings, upon thy conſcience, put thee in full poſſeſſion of the ſins of thy youth (as you make writings, when you would put one in poſſeſſion) thou ſhalt have them, and hold them: for God writes bitter things againſt thee, and thou ſhalt poſſeſs thy youth ſins. Oh! what a burthen, what a wilneſs is the guilt of twenty or thirty yeers ſins to one then converted? And if ſo, at what a loſe may the ſinner of an hundred yeers old be?
3.3. Remainders of youth-ſins. The ſpeculative, re-actings of his youth and ſtrength-ſins, in his aged and crazy yeers, do much bewilder him; ſeldom is it (though his body be ſpent, and conſumed in ſin) but his mind is as full for it, and as much taken up with it as ever. Deſire fails (as to his body) but his heart is as luſtful as ever; To ſee and to hear of the actings of his old ſins by yonger ones, pleaſeth him. Methinks tis a ſad expreſſion, Job 20.11. His bones are full of the ſins of his youth. It ſeems ſin will hold as long as any thing holds; when his fl ſh is conſumed, his bones hold ſtill: when ſin leaves his fleſh, it enters into his bones, that is, his abiding part; if his body be diſabled for ſin, yet his minde is full of it, yea, and it ſhall lie down with him in the grave. Thus do youth-ſins bewilder him when he is old.
2.2 Infirmity of old age. The infirmities of his age cannot but be as a wilderneſs to his ſoul, and render his condition much more loſt and remedileſs. To inſtance but in two amongſt many. The dimneſs of his ſight, and the lameneſs and feeblneſs of his leggs and feet.
1. His dim and dead-ſightedneſs is ſuch as he cannot ſee the way; for thoſe that look out at the windows are now darkned, Eccl. 12.3. His judgement and apprehenſion is gone, as to naturals, and how unfit then for the view of ſpiritual things? he is dull of hearing and ſlow of remembring, and all his mentals are impaired, and which is worſt of all, the Lord in rightouſnes ſmiteth ſuch aged ones that have had long, and ſleighted long, the opportunities of knowing the way of peace, with judicial blindneſs and blockiſh ſottiſhneſs, that as they will not, ſo they cannot, yea that they might not ſee with their eyes, lest they ſhould be converted, and he ſhould heal them, Iſa. 6.18.
2. Such lameneſs is in his legs, and feeblneſs in his feet, that if he could ſee, yet could he not walk in the wayes of God; and what can you now think but that he muſt periſh in the wilderneſs? Eccl. 12.3. The strong men bow themſelves, His affections were ſtrong, his ſoul was vigorouſly carryed out by them, for they are the feet of the ſoul, but they now bow under him: And how can his deſire think you be vigorous for God? for the very native edge is taken off of it; for verſ. 5. His deſire ſhall fail. His affections are now gone, that were ſtrong: if he go to God, he muſt go without leggs; but alas! little of that; old men both in naturals, and as to ſpirituals, love to lay their old bones at reſt. (Alas! how ſhould he put up ſtrong ſupplications, that is himſelf ſo weak? or be frequent in prayers, when he hales for breath? ſuch as will, and muſt be in the pangs of converſion.) In a word, how ſhould he get out of the wilderneſs, that is not able to ſtir from the place where he lies?
But yet my heart breaks to think of leaving thee there. Old ones,Ʋſe. 1. Encouragment to Old ones deſirous to come out of the wilderneſs. hath God touched any of your hearts this day? have you any unfeigned deſires to travel out of your old wilderneſs in your old age? If you have, ſpeak: and then 'Ile ſpeak. Truly if you have but yet an ear to hear in good earneſt, know that though it be impoſſible with man to tranſplant ſuch an old tree, and to make it take root in a new ſoile, or to take ſuch a withered branch, and to graft it into a living ſtock; yet with the Lord nothing is impoſſible: for the grace of the Goſpel nothing at all is too hard. That God that is able to make the hypocrite, though a green tree, to be dried up, is able, yea, and according to his promiſe, willing to cauſe thee though a dead and a dry tree to flouriſh; read Ezek. 17.24 Yea, but wilt thou ſay (as well thou maiſt) my ſtrength (as you ſaid) I finde is gone; I would travel after Chriſt, but my ſtrength is ſpent in wandring in the wilderneſs. I fear never was any converted whoſe caſe was ſo deſperate: yea, but it was ſo with the loſt ſheep, Luk. 15. It had ſpent its ſtrength in the wilderneſs, and could not go; but Chriſt could carry it (and ſo he can thee) he took it, and laid it upon his ſhoulder, v. 5. If then thou canſt not come out of the wilderneſs but by leaning upon his arm, 'tis no unmannerlineſs: Beg of Chriſt with importunities to take thee, and to lay thee upon his ſhoulder. Object not thy lameneſs to come to Chriſt.
But for you aged ones,2 Terror …o thoſe that reſolve to ſtay there. that have lain under the droppings of this word of grace this day, but yet deſpiſe the day of your viſitation, ſo neer night, and will not hear his voice to day, but harden your hearts as in the former dayes of your provocation in the wilderneſs, know that it ſhall fare with you as with the dry trees there; thoſe drops of rain (that cauſe other trees to ſprout forth) falling on them, cauſe them to rot the ſooner. This word ſhall ſoake into thine heart, Oh! thou dead tree, and rot thee within more and more, untill thou by thy rottenneſs be perfectly fitted for Gods furnace. Job 22.15, 16. Haſt thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? who have been cut down out of time, whoſe foundation was overflown with a flood. Thou haſt troden the ſame paths, even paths of wickedneſs, and of the wilderneſs; Thou ſhalt be rooted up, and the flood of Gods wrath ſhall overflow thy foundations: Thou ſhalt be cut down out of time, and committed to eternity, and the everlaſting flames of wrath ſhall take hold upon thee. Think of this your aged ones that are in the twelfth hour of your day. If you have not found the way out of the wilderneſs, whilſt your day ſhall laſt, know that when the night comes you ſhall never find any way, ſave to bed onelyonly, I mean, to the grave, to hell.