A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Containing the diſcovery of the Point in three Queries. Qu. 1. What advantages Satan hath to bewilder Souls. 1. From our ſelves, our hearts are a Wilderneſs, proved and applied.
THus much for the doctrinal proof of the Point.Diſcovery of the Point in three Queries. 1. What advantages Satan hath to bewilder poor ſouls. We come now to further diſcoverie of what you have heard ſo fully, ſo ſadly proved. I pitch upon theſe three Heads.
Firſt, what advantages Satan hath.
Secondly, what pains he takes.
Thirdly, what means he makes to bewilder poor ſouls.
And what firſt are Satans advantages? The Apoſtle 2 Cor. 2.11. puts us on this. Leſt Satan (ſaith he) get an advantage of you, for we are not ignorant of his devices. It ſeems Satan is very carefull to take, and to improve, all advantage of poor ſouls. And unto what? Why unto his own devices, called by the ſame Apoſtle Epheſ. 6.11. Wiles or Methods, or (as we engliſhed) bewildrings. You muſt think the ſame thing to be intended in both places, ſo then call them devices or bewildrings, or bewildring devices, which you will; there is advantage that Satan hath, and that Satan takes in order unto them:
There are two ſorts of advantages that Satan hath,2. Sorts of advantages. 1. Sort from our ſelves. 2. Sorts of them. as to the bewildring of poor ſouls. From our ſelves ſome, others from himſelf.
Firſt, from us. There are two great advantages.
Firſt, our hearts naturally are a wilderneſs.
Secondly, ſubject to tempt, and lead us into the wilderneſs. Therefore you may obſerve this difference of expreſſion. Somtimes God complains that they walk in the counſels of their own hearts. So Ier. 7.24. they hearkened not, &c, but walked in the counſels, and in the imagination of their evil heart. So chap. 11.8. So chap. 13.10. Mark their walk, or their way, is that he ſpeaks of. And where is it? Why, in their evil hearts: here their hearts are made the wilderneſs. And othertimes God complains, that they walk after the counſels, &c. of their own hearts. So Ier. 9.14. But they walked after the imagination of their own hearts. So chap. 18.12. We will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do after the imagination of our own heart. So chap. 23.17. They ſay to every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, &c. Here their hearts are become guides to lead them into the wilderneſs. Wonder not then that we are ſo eaſily bewildred ſpiritually, ſince our hearts are not onelyonly a wilderneſs unto us, but tempters alſo, that lie at catch to ſeduce and bewilder us.
1. Our hearts by nature are a wilderneſs.Firſt, then this is Satans great advantage that herein he hath from us, our ſouls by nature are a wilderneſs unto us. Perhaps ſome carnal one might ſay, What do you talk ſo much of a wilderneſs? I ſee none, Where is't? What is't? How can theſe things be? Why look within, and thou canſt not look off of the wilderneſs. Men walk (ſaith God) in their own evil hearts. Why there's the wilderneſs. I ſaid (ſaith God) Ier. 7.23. Walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you; but they hearkned not. Sure you'l grant now that they are in the wilderneſs, when they are out of all Gods ways: and what's that wilderneſs? Where did they walk then? Why, In the counſels of their evil heart, and what follows? They went backward and not forward, v. 24. Whileſt men and women go aſide from Gods counſels and ways, they go backward, and if you'l ask me where? 'Tis in the imaginations of their own hearts. So in Ier. 11.7. You have God riſing up early, and proteſting his ways from day to day unto them. And now that God is in ſuch a ſerious poſture, a proteſting God, (whoſe bare word is truth infallible) What hinders them now from Gods way? Why? (ſaith God) 'tis this (their heart is a wilderneſs) they walk every one in the imagination of their own evil heart, v. 8. Memorable is that Scripture Pſalm 95.8. You have mention of Iſrael that he was in the wilderneſs provoking God there. But what was it that grieved God, yea grieved him fourtie years? Was it, that Iſrael was in that material Wilderneſſe? Oh that was not the worſt of it, but ver. 12. 'Tis a people that do erre in their hearts, and they have not known my waies. Sirs, what ſay you now to this heart-wil-derneſſe…? 'Twas erring in heart ('twas heart-bewildring) that kept them out of Gods waies. Hence that ſad, but pregnant expreſſion. Pſ. 64.6. They ſearch out iniquities: That is, in their Counſells, and imaginations, in their hearts. Search them out, That is, as one that hath loſt a ſheep in Wilderneſs, he looks into this corner, and that quarter, and another quarter, and a fourth Corner, untill he hath ſearched it out. So when they deſign ſuch an Evill, they ſearch this affection, and that affection; and this phancy, and that phancy, this thought, and that thought: untill they have ſearched out their iniquity, and this is the Wilderneſſe of the heart: but how ſad a Wilderneſſe it is, who can declare? For Pſ. 19.12. Who can underſtand his Errors, that is bewildrings, which he ſpeaks of the Wilderneſs of his heart. For ſaith he) cleanſe thou mee from ſecret ſins.
For further Evidence hereof,Evidence hereof. I ſhall look to Children, to Fooles, to your own Experience.
Firſt, Children (they ſay) ſpeak their hearts,1. In Children. and if ſo, I'm ſure, as ſoon as ever they begin to ſpeake, they ſpeak them to be a Wilderneſſe. Childrens words are as vain and fooliſh, and as inconſtant and inconſiſtent as mens thoughts are. For Children ſpeak as Children. 1 Cor. 13.11. Men and women have as confuſed thoughts, as Children have words: trace a Childs ſentences, and in two or three of them the Child will have quite loſt it ſelf, and doth not this ſpeak what a Wilderneſſe the heart of the Child is out of the abundance whereof the mouth ſpeaks, yea, what a Wilderneſſe thine (or mine) heart is by nature? Though thou canſt cover thine heart-bewildrings in more wiſdom, then the Child can do; yet God complains of men and women (as much as thou canſt note from Childrens moſt childiſh words) Jer, 4.14. How long ſhall vain thoughts lodge within thee. Children ſpeak of one thing, and of another, and a third thing almoſt with one breath: and thou thinkſt of as many, almoſt with one glance of thine heart. Children talk, as thou thinkeſt, of impoſſibilities. Children put themſelves out of what they began with, by heaping up more new and vain words, and thou doſt the like, by multiplying new and vain thoughts. Is it not too true, when thou ſetteſt thy ſelf apart for meditation of thy ſouls eſtate before the Lord of thy former condition, of repentance from dead works? &c. Oh! how doe a thouſand thoughts come in, of one thing and another, and one upon the neck of another: ſo that thou art preſently at a loſſe, as to thy chief buſineſſe, and ſo thine own heart becomes thy Wilderneſſe.
Secondly, Fooles. Theſe you ſay as well as Children ſpeak truth;2. In fools and madmen. and if you will believe it undoubtedly, you muſt conclude their hearts to be no other then ſo many Wilderneſſes of confuſion. Have you not obſerved how madly mad men and women will expreſſe themſelves? Why? they do but write upon their own foreheads, what thou writeſt upon thine own heart, ſuch madneſſe is in the heart, (if it bee not in the mouth) of the Sons of men. Eccleſ. 9.3.
3. In your own Experience.But thirdly, I will rather chooſe to convince the intelligent Chriſtian hereof from his own Expetience. Thou ſaiſt, thou wouldſt keep holy daies after an holy manner, and pray frequently, and perform all duties ſtrictly: and why doſt thou not? Oh! ſaiſt thou, becauſe of the bewildring multitude of my vaine thoughts they come in, and lead me from one thing to another, from that to a third, from that to more, and by all from the buſineſſe in hand: and thus doth thine own heart prove a wildernes unto thee; ſomtimes bad thoughts, ſometimes good, but bad for thee; ſometimes good in themſelves, and good for thee too, (ſuch as thou mighteſt be glad of at another time) but bad for thee at this time, as carrying thee off from thy preſent duty. The Pſalmiſt complains, Pſa. 94.19.An account or reaſons hereof. of a multitude of thoughts within him. It ſeems, there are enough to bewilder, there are a multitude: but alas ſhall I need to tell you ſo? I'm ſure you find it ſo. I ſhall therefore rather paſſe on to declare how it comes to be ſo. Take with you this threefold account. The exceeding bigneſſe, and vaſt latitude and Dimenſions of the heart. The extream numerouſneſſe of the waies that are therein. The windings and turnings that are in thoſe waies.
Firſt conſider the vaſt Dimenſion of the heart of man.1. The vaſtneſſe of the heart. The World (as you have heard) is big enough for a Wilderneſſe, but the heart is much bigger. The world is not large enough to hold thine heart, but thine heart is big enough to hold a great many worlds. Alexanders heart was too big for the world, for when he had conquered it he ſate down (ſom ſay) and wept, becauſe there were no more worlds for him to conquer. Eccleſ. 3.11. He hath ſet the world in their heart. The World is nothing ſo big as the heart. I remember I once ſaw the pictures of our ſeverall faculties, as Will, Memory, &c. one was the phancy of phancy, or the figure of the phantaſie; and O it was a painter painted, painting an heart, & in that heart the world in one Corner (an harlot) the Emblem of the fleſh in another: and the Devill in the third: and I judge it lively expreſſed. The heart is ſo much bigger then the World, as to be able to hold the fleſh, that is, corrupt Nature, and the Devill too. Now put together our own Corruptions, all Satans temptations, and the World allurements, and if that heart that is big enough to comprehend all theſe be not large enough by theſe to become our Wildeerneſſe, judge you.