A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Contains further proof and diſcovery.
2. Many waies that are in the heart.SEcondly, Conſider the great many waies of this great heart, I'l warrant, enough to bewilder you. Pro. 19.21, There are many devices in the heart of man, and Pro. 16.9. A mans heart deviſeth his way. Put both together. There are many Devices of mans heart, and all theſe are the waies of mans heart; therefore many are the waiee of the heart of man. Like ſo great a City, that hath ſo many ſtreets, that one ſuppoſed to be bred and born in it, is not able to reckon, or to know them all, ſuch a City or Wilderneſſe rather is mans heart. To underſtand this, I would have you know, that all the waies of a mans life (that are properly mans waies) are firſt in mans heart. A mans heart deviſeth his way. 'Tis ſaid, Pſal. 84.5. Bleſſed is the man in whoſe heart are the waies of them, &c. that is, of Gods people. Gods peoples waies are in their hearts: So ſinners waies are firſt of all of them in ſinners hearts: Hence I prove that their hearts are Wilderneſſes unto them. As if a man be to ride to London to morrow, the nature of the heart is to ride the journey before-hand to night; when it goes to ſleep, or in the morning when he wakes. So his heart ſins over his ſin beforehand. And how can theſe waies but be an heart-wilderneſs to the unregenerate? Therefore ſaith God, Iſai. 47.13. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy Counſels, and verſe 15. The Merchants which thou haſt laboured with from thy youth, ſhall wander every of them to his Quarter, none of them ſhall ſave thee. Evidences of the multitude of wayes in the heart.The waies and counſels of their owne hearts were that which undid them, I ſhall farther offer two or three things under this head to your Conſideration, which may abundantly prove the multitude of the wayes of our heart, and readineſſe of thoſe wayes to bewilder us.
Firſt, There never was any way of ſin in any heart, but thine heart and mine are expoſe thereunto, 1 Cor. 10.13. There hath no tentation taken you, but that which is common to man, &c. but God will make a way to eſcape. Marke, Every temptation is a bewildring tentation, unleſſe God make a way, thou canſt not ſcape, and every ſuch temptation is common to man, even every one upon the Earth. The ſame temptation that undid Cain, and Cham, and Jeroboam, and Judas, are common to thee; and thy ſoule might be bewildred in the ſame wayes, if God made not a way to eſcape. Now thinke, what multitudes of waies are there for ſinners that live now to walke in, even all the wayes that ever ſinners walked in hitherto; therefore 'tis regiſtred of ſome afterward, that they went in the way of Cain (before them) Jud. 11. and followed the way of Balaam, 2 Pet. 2.15. Their wayes, and the wayes of all other ſinners that ever were, are before the eyes of their unregenerate heart.
Secondly, There was never way of ſinne in any heart, but thine heart and mine are naturally diſpoſed to it, Prov. 27.19. As face in water anſwers face, ſo the heart of man anſwers to man. Thy face, in the water (which was then, I ſuppoſe, their onelyonly looking-glaſſe) is not more like thy very face, then thine heart and anothers are by nature alike: the ſame diſpoſitions to cruelty, as in Cain; to covetouſneſſe, as in Balaam; to betray Chriſt, as in Judas, or what ever elſe was comitted by whomſoever elſe you have heard of, or read of, or knowne, are naturally in thine owne heart. Thou art not onelyonly ſubject and expoſed, but inclined and diſpoſed unto them. And truly, I thinke it becomming us, when we heare of anothers ſinne in the Act and Fruit, to looke upon it as our owne in the Root, and ſo to be humbled for it, and rapt up in admiration of his Grace, who hath made the difference.
Thirdly, There was never any ſinne in thine owne life, but it was the way of thine heart firſt, Pſal. 14.1. The fool hath ſaid in his heart, &c. They are all gone aſide, verſe 3. ſo Prov. 7.25. Let not thine heart decline to her waies; go not aſtray in her paths. The heart goes alwaies before the reſt goes. Now then if all the waies of ſinne that ever thou wert in, or that ever any other were in, are and have been either actually, or as we ſay, in actu primo, in their originall, root and ſpawn, in thine heart, thou canſt not but reſt convicted, that there are in thine heart wayes enough to make a wilderneſſe.
3ly, The many windings of thoſe wayes.Thirdly, As the heart of man is very great and full of waies ſo are thoſe waies full of windings and turnings to and againe; and therefore the heart cannot but be a Wilderneſſe. The heart of man is compared to the belly of a man, Prov. 20.27. becauſe of any creature a mans bowels (as Anatomiſts note) are fulleſt of windings: ſo full of windings are the wayes of the heart, ſo full I ſay, that himſelfe that walkes in them, can't know where he is, Jer. 17.9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and who can know it? In the fifth verſe, you have mention of an heart, departing from the Lord, and therefore becomming an Heath in the Deſert, a ſalt Land, and a Wilderneſſe, verſe 6. And this is the heart that is ſo deſperately full of windings and turnings, verſe 9. When Peter thought that he was in the ſteadieſt way of profeſſion, his heart was winding into the way of apoſtacy. Well might Chriſt ſay unto his Diſciples, What ſpirits you are of, you know not, Luk. 9.55.Diſcoveries of of the hearts windings. 1. Sort. 1. Head. They thought they were in the way of Elias his zeale, but they were in the way of their owne carnall paſſion. This I ſhall farther ſay of the windings of our hearts.
Firſt, You ſhall finde them ready to winde into any other way; yea, though it be the way of anothers duty, rather then to keepe in their owne way; that they connot indure, yea, to away of their owne duty at another time, rather then to keepe in the way that is now their way. Oh! thinkes the poore man, if If I were but rich, what would not I doe? If I were as the chiefe Governour, as the ſupream Power, ſay ſome hearts, oh! what would not I doe? Yea, but thou art what thou art: and tell me, doſt thou doe what is thy duty now to doe? 'Tis certaine (if otherwiſe) that thoſe are but the wilderneſſe-windings of thy crooked heart: thus Abſolon, 2 Sam 15.4. Oh! that I were made judge in the Land, I would doe every man right. If Abſolon were but King, he would be a Saint, but in the meane time never was there a more Deviliſh ſubject. So as our hearts wind off from our duty to anothers,2d. Head. ſo from one duty to another, our duty but at another time. As perhaps ſometimes when thou art hearing, and thine heart is ready to melt, and thine eyes to run over. Oh! thinkeſt thou now, (if I were in ſecret) how ſweetly and brokenly could I powre out my ſoule, and perhaps in ſuch thoughts loſeſt thy ſelfe, and ſome part of the Sermon: perhaps by that time thou art come at home and in a corner, thy heart is wound off againe from that frame; and now, oh! that thou wert a hearing againe to warme thee: to this purpoſe ſee farther, how miſtaken duty is a meanes to bewilder us, whereunto ſomewhat is to be ſpoken more largely in the following diſcourſe, whither at preſent I referre you. There are many ſuch windings to be found in your particular experiences, as many as you finde obſerve and ſhun them.
2d. Sort.Secondly, You ſhall finde your hearts from whatſoever they take their riſe (though they be different, yea contrary principles) yet to winde unto the ſame ſinfull Concluſions. You ſay, There are many waies to the wood; many wayes, but they meet in the wood. Many waies in your hearts, but they all of them winde to the Wilderneſſe, and meet in ſinne; and that although they ſeeme not onelyonly to be contrary one to another, and yet both meet in the ſame part of the Wilderneſſe, but alſo though the beginning of the way be quite contrary unto it ſelfe in the end of it.
1. Head.Firſt, Although the principles be quite different one from another, yet doth the heart winde both to the ſame ſinne: For inſtance, take one caſe that I touched upon before, viz. Preſumption and Deſpaire; more different principles there cannot be; yet the heart can wind into the ſelfeſame ſinne beginning at either of theſe; Ile prove it from Scripture, ſaith one man, Whatſoever I do now, I ſhall do well enough in the end; this is preſumption. Now what doth he conclude? why, therefore ſaith he, I will ſin ſtill; ſaith another man, I ſee ther's no hope for me, however I repent, or pray, or do any thing: this is deſpaire. Now what doth he conclude? therefore I will ſin ſtill. Compare Deut. 29.19. with Jer. 18.12. In Deuter. God calls upon Iſrael to keepe in his way. If any man ſhall bleſſe himſelfe in his own heart, ſaying, I ſhall have peace, though I walke in the imagination of mine own heart, to add drunkenneſſe to thirſt, &c. Here's preſumption. And how ſtands the Argument? thus, Whatever I do, I ſhall have peace, whatever way of my heart I walke in: therefore, ſaith hee, I will go on ſtill, and add ſin to ſin ſtill, even drunkenneſſe to thirſt, there's the Concluſion. In like manner in Jer. God calls upon the ſame people to walke in his waies, Returne every way one from his evill way, and make his waies good, verſe 11. And they ſaid, there is no hope: but we will make every one after his own devices, and the imaginations of his own evill heart, verſe 12. Here's deſpair. Now how ſtands this Argument? thus. Whatever I do, there is no hope for me, and therefore I will walke in the waies of mine own evill heart ſtill. No feare in the former, therefore he will ſin. No hope in the latter, therefore he wi…l ſin. Thus Preſumption and Deſpaire (though one came from the Eaſt, and th'other from the Weſt; or one from the North, th'other from South; from the right hand, th'one, th'other from the left; yet this heart (that we ſpeake of) leads by both to the Wood, and leaves men in the wilderneſſe of ſinne. How frequently and ſadly doth experience confirme this Obſervation amongſt the children of men? ſuch are the windings of the wayes of a naturall heart.
Secondly,2. Head. As it can winde from beginning in various waies into the ſame Wilderneſſe at laſt, ſo it can curſedly wind the end of the way to a contrariety, to the beginning of the ſelfe-ſame way. I ſhall mind you but of one inſtance for proofe of the truth, whereof I ſhall appeale to the experience of thoſe that know what it is to keepe watch over their own hearts: (and if it be ſo with the people of God, how much more with the unregenerate?) And 'tis this; the gracious ſpirit being put (through tentation, or naturall corruption) upon ſome piece of pride; It goes ſolicitouſly to the Throne of grace, that God would break its pride of ſpirit, and give it a lowly, broken, tender, humble heart. And in its exceedingly earneſt ſupplications and Agonies of ſoule, God comes in exceedingly: the heart is hereby much broken, the Spirit exceedingly humbled and abaſed, and laid very low. Now watch for theſe windings of heart that I ſpeake of: and perhaps you may too ſoon ſpie them out. The poor heart begins to looke upon it ſelf under theſe enlargements, and to like it ſelfe, to reflect upon its broken-heartedneſſe and humility, and to be pleaſed in them, and with them; yea, verily, in plaine engliſh, to grow proud of its very humility: and this, as I ſaid, is to wind quite round: Now as ſoon as ever it becomes thus wound aſide, you may know its in a Wilderneſſe by the thorns it ſhall meet with, 2 Cor. 12.7. Thornes in the fleſh, there muſt and will be, when the heart winds about to this pride in the ſpirit.
Now then if the heart be ſo capacious, and ſo full of wayes, and thoſe waies ſo full of windings, you cannot but conclude, how eaſily the heart, nay, how neceſſarily it becomes a Wilderneſſe. Thine heart is expoſed, yea, and diſpoſed too to all the wayes and windings of ſpirit that ever entangled any ſoule in the world, Vſe. and ſurely they are enough to bewilder thee.
Oh let this conſideration to purpoſe humble thee! whereever thou goeſt, thou carrieſt thy wilderneſſe about thee.
Come we now to a ſecond ſort of Satans Advantages, that he hath from us to bewilder us, which is