A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 4 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Diſcovers the nature of this leaning-act in four Particulars. Fourth Querie propounded, what are the hinderances of this leaning? Two negative hinderances. 1. Few need him. 2. Few feel him:
4th. Conſid. What the nature of this leaning Act is.THe fourth and laſt Querie, viz. What is the nature of this leaning act, or what are its conſtituting qualification.
I ſhall anſwer this Querie in theſe four Things. The ſoule muſt leane not doubtingly, or waveringly; but fiducially, and reſolvedly: not inconſiderately, or unadviſedly; but of counſell, and deliberately: nor yet forcedly, or of neceſſity; but freely, and out of choyce and complacency: no nor yet looſely and brokenly, but cloſely and intyrely: theſe Ingredients muſt compound this leaning, if ſo be it be rightly qualified.
1 It muſt be a fiduciall.1. It muſt be a ſtable, not wavering, a fixed, fiducial, and reſolved leaning. I ſay,
A fiduciall leaning. The ſoule muſt come to Chriſt, and caſt it ſelfe upon Chriſt, believing that he is, and that it is not in vain to ſeek him in any exigency. The language of this leaning is not, it may be, &c. and who can tell but, &c. which yet is found in Scripture, the higheſt language of faith in the Saints, when they are at their loweſt ebbe of believing: but of a truth, God is good to Iſrael: I know whom I have believed: though I fall, I ſhall ariſe, and the Lord ſhall be a light unto me: It may be, ſaith the poore doubting Chriſtian, that there is righteouſneſs with the Lord Chriſt for me: Who can tell, but that I may find ſtrength in Chriſt for my poore ſoule? but ſaith the Lord of the leaning Spouſe, Surely ſhall one ſay, In the Lord I have ſtrength and righteouſneſſe. As ſure as I am weak, there is ſtrength in the Lord, and ſtrength for me, Iſa. 45.24. ſo Dan. 3.17. Our God whom we ſerve will deliver us, and therefore we are not carefull in this matter: they lean ſo, as that they dare adventure their life upon their leaning. When thou leaneſt ſo, that thou dareſt venture thy ſoule upon thy Chriſt: when faith takes the word out of the promiſes mouth, and can confidently promiſe it ſelfe whatever God hath promiſed: I will, ſaith God; God will, ſaith faith: ſurely I wll, ſaith God; Verily thou ſhalt be fed: ſurely God will, ſaith faith, Verily I ſhall be fed: And ſo for any other promiſe. This is fiducially to leane upon the Beloved.
Againe, Here the ſoule muſt leane,And reſolved Act. and leane reſolvedly. I have now got hold of thee, and I will not let thee go, except thou bleſſe me, as Gen. 32.26. I am come to Chriſt, and here I will ſtay, and if I periſh, I periſh, (as Eſter ſaid in another caſe) Eſt. 4.16. I am at Shuſan, at the Kings Palace, at the Throne of grace, upon the account of Chriſt, and if I periſh, yet will I not ſtir from the horns of this Altar; yea, though he kill me, yet will I truſt in him. This is called a cleaving with purpoſe of heart to the Lord, Act. 11.23. With the heart, and with the reſolution, of heart, foreign, ſaith ſuch a ſoule. I believe what the Lord hath ſaid of his Chriſt, that he is able to ſave to the uttermoſt, Heb. 7.25. And therefore I will truſt him to the uttermoſt. If Chriſt cannot juſtifie, let God condemne me: if Chriſt cannot ſave me, let me be unſaved. For verily Believers, Chriſt is as thoſe Pillars of Hercules; if you come to take hold of theſe Pillars, Ne plus ultra: if you come to take hold upon Chriſt, ſtirre no farther: if you goe beyond Chriſt, you will ſpeed as ill as if you were ſtill ſhort of him.
Secondly, It muſt not be prepoſterouſly, precipitantly, 2ly. A mature and deliberate Act.or of inadvertency; but upon mature deliberation, that the ſoule muſt leane upon the beloved: Sirs, put Chriſt amongſt ten thouſand, and if he be not now the ſtandard-bearer, the chiefeſt of them all (as the Spouſe found him to be, Cant. 5.10.) then doe not truſt your ſoules to him; if you will not, Chriſts Banner ſhall not want Souldiers, as long as himſelfe is the bearer of it. Sirs, you had need to be adviſed, when you chooſe your Guardian: a State will be deliberate, before they make an allyance with another State: they propound what ſhall they be advanced by it, or what they may loſe; or will the gaine compenſat the Detriment, in reſpect of other States, whoſe confederacy they muſt loſe by it, &c. And Chriſt himſelfe improves ſuch ſimiles to this very end, Luk. 14. the unadviſed Builder, ver. 28. The precipitant Warriour, ver. 31. Condemning the fooliſhneſſe of both. A wiſe woman will not chuſe an Husband without deliberation: ſhee muſt needs then paſſe for unwiſe, that wil chuſe an Husband hand over head: for my part, my prayer and deſire ſhall be, (as a poor inſtrument) to make ſound Chriſtians, though not haſty Chriſtians: Alas, ſoone ripe, ſoone rotten: What Age hath ever confirm'd it, by ſo ſad experience in the moſt ſerious things? Doe you wonder that ſo many fall away from Chriſt ſo ſoon? truly if you had but known or obſerved them, you might as well have wondred, how they came at Chriſt ſo ſoon. You wonder they can ſo ſoon depart from the faith, and lay down duty: and I, in my ſmall experience, have admired, how they got the faith (they pretended to) ſo eaſily, whileſt it coſt others ſo deare: that they took up duties ſo ſuddainly, whileſt others have had many an hard pull at their hard hearts, to get them up to duty: how they have come to the joy without knowledge of ſuch a thing, as the hour of travell: how the Childe hath been borne without any pain; how they came to be ſo confidently united and marryed to Chriſt, before ever almoſt they thought of Chriſt. Therefore ſirs, I ſhall deale ingenuouſly with you, in the counſell that I ſhall give you. Take you a ſtrick ſurvey of all the Lovers that the world affords, compare Creature Crutches, the beſt of them all with Chriſt; view his countenance, and the face of other things; obſerve his power, and the worlds; compare his faithfulneſſe, and ſins promiſes, and if ſo be when they come to the upſhot, there be any that doe ſo well deſerve your love, that can ſo ably ſupport your infirmities, that will ſo faithfully diſcharge your truſt, as the Lord Jeſus, marry them for finding them. If Baal be God, then worſhip him! But oh! what heart amongſt you, dares (though perhaps it deſires) in this comparing, to Vote for any thing againſt the Lord Jeſus Chriſt? If any dare, let them pleaſe themſelves, they ſhall never chuſe for me: But I hope better things of you my Brethren: O let us cry out in the language of the Spouſe, Cant. 2.3. As the Apple-tree amongſt the Trees of the wood, ſo is my beloved amongſt the Sons.
3ly. It muſt not be forced & of neceſſity, 3ly. A free and complacentiall Act.but of complacency, and of choyce; a leaning for love, (as we ſay) and not for money. Chriſt never intended in any civill Marriage, that the golden wheele ſhould be the firſt mover, or that the ſilver Cord ſhould draw the hearts together; much leſſe that we ſhould love him primely for his loaves, or marry him (as ſome time amongſt men we ſee it) meerly to be maintained by him. I have ſadly in my thoughts compared a ſoul taking hold upon Chriſt in a death-bed, (when there hath been no other way left) or under ſome ſtrong fears of death, and keepings under bondage thereby, to a naked hand catching hold of a naked ſword in a ſhipwrack: not, that it deſires ſo to doe, but for the preſent it muſt hold or ſink: Now let the man but come abroad, or aſhore, and you ſhall quickly ſee him let his hold go, and glad too. Poore ſoules, when there's no other way but to dye, and be damned, O! then for a Chriſt. What? would you have a Chriſt? yes, I would fain: yea, I muſt have a Chriſt: but Chriſt will mortifie your members, and ſubdue your ſinnes: doe you deſire that? yes, will they ſay. Oh! you cannot beat them off from leaning upon a Chriſt now, though you cut their Fingers; but let them but come to ſhore, to health and ſtrength againe, and you ſhall not need once to bid them to forego their hold upon Jeſus Chriſt. But the Spouſe as you heard, would not let her beloved go: ſure enough it was, becauſe ſhe loved to lean, as well as leaned where ſhe loved. Obſerve Gods propheſie of the Root of Jeſſe (which is Chriſt) and the believing Gentiles, Iſai. 11.10. Unto it, (that is, unto Chriſt the Sonne of Jeſſe) ſhall the Gentiles ſeek, and his reſt ſhall be glorious. Marke, They ſhall take it to be their glory, their joy, and their Crown to come, and ſit down, to ſtay, and to reſt themſelves upon the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; thus rejoycingly muſt thou leane upon the beloved.
4ly. A cloſe & intyre Act.4ly, and laſtly, It muſt not be a broken and looſe, but a cloſe and entyre leaning upon Jeſus Chriſt. This is called a being joyned to the Lord, 1 Cor. 6.17. the word foreign, that is, agglutinated, as the Joyner fits piece to piece, and then glues each piece to his fellow, in order hereunto. Thus much I have already proved, that the intire, or whole ſoul, muſt leane upon the intire, or whole Chriſt; at leaſt wiſe it is eaſily deducible from the deſcription of that intereſt that muſt bottome this Act. That which I have more to ſay, is onelyonly this, that as the Agent, and Object, ſo muſt the Act it ſelfe be intire, the whole ſoul muſt wholly leane upon the whole Chriſt, Cant. 5.16. He (ſaith the Spouſe) is altogether lovely: and if ſo, then altogether to be leaned upon: for there muſt be ſome proportion between the Act and the Object. Oh! many there be, that will ſeeme to leane upon Chriſt; but how may this word [altogether] ſtartle us? We lean not ſo much upon Chriſt for proviſion in the world, as, over him, upon the ſhoulders of our own wit, and care, and induſtry; or the ſhoulders of ſuch and ſuch friends: If we leaned altogether upon Chriſt, we ſhould keep our faith, as Habakkuk, ch. 3. ult. Though all means ſhould fail.
We leane not ſo much upon Chriſt in a ſickneſſe, as over Chriſt, upon the Phyſitians ſhoulders: elſe ſhould we think more of, or ſend oftner to, or conſult oftner with Chriſt then we doe, whilſt we, ſo much (Aſa-like) think of, ſend to, and conſult with the Phyſitians, 2 Chr. 16.16.12.
We leane not ſo much upon Chriſt in a duty, as, over him, upon the ſhoulders as it were of the duty: hence is it, that we meaſure our acceptance by our enlargements, when happily the heart hath been more humble, and ſo better (as I have noted) when it hath been more ſtraightned; ſo that all theſe are more ſtay to us, than Chriſt. But oh! when? when ſhall we get cloſe unto Chriſt Jeſus? lean adequately upon him? to ſtretch our ſelves upon him, as Eliſha did upon the Childe; that our eyes may be upon his eyes, and our mouth upon his mouth, and our face upon his face, 2 King. 4.34. Friends, 'tis only ſuch neare immediate and adequate application of Chriſt to our ſoules, or (which is all one) of our ſouls to Chriſt, that can bring life into our dead hearts, as into that dead Childe. The Spouſe would have none betwixt her and Jeſus Chriſt, no not ſo much as the deareſt enjoyment in the world: but his left hand ſhould be under her head, and his right hand ſhould embrace her, Cant. 8.3. Which embraces encourage her to re-imbrace her beloved, and ſo to come out of the Wilderneſſe leaning upon him, verſ. 5. And thus much in anſwer to the third Queſtion, viz. What it is to leane upon the Beloved. Come we now to
The Fourth maine Querie, viz. 4th Querie. What are the Hinderances of this leaning upon Chriſt. Two ſorts. 1. Negative.Whar are the hinderances that keepe loſt ſoules from becommirg leaning ſoules.
I ſhall reduce them, or at leaſt wiſe the moſt principal of them, unto theſe two Heads. 1. Neagative. 2. Poſitive Hinderances.
1. As for Negative hinderances, take theſe three:1. Few need Chriſt, therefore few leane upon him. Few need Chriſt, fewer feel him, feweſt of all affect him.
1. Hinderance is this, That (though all loſt ſoules do need Chriſt, yet) there are very, very few, that apprehend their loſt eſtate, and ſo perceive their need of Chriſt comparatively: but one loſt ſoul, one ſheep of an hundred, where there are ninty nine juſt perſons that need no repentance, Luk. 15.7. Oh! would it not make an heart bleed to think, that when our poore ſoules are caſt forth naked into the open field, that there is none eye to pitty them, (no not ſo much as their own eye!) Ezek. 16.5. Soules are ſo loſt, that they have loſt their pitty towards themſelves; they do not, they cannot lament their own ruines. Poor they are and wretched, and miſerable, and blind, and naked, and yet aske theſe very perſons how they doe? and they will tell you, they are in need of nothing, Rev. 3.17. No, not in need of Chriſt: And therefore they care not for leaning upon him. Come to ſome Widdow, and mind her of ſuch a man that would make a very good Husband for her; why? ſaith ſhe, I am well enough as I am, and I live quietly and comfortably, and need nothing. Now that word quite ſtops your woing for a friend: and how doth it obſtruct our woing of ſoules for Jeſus Chriſt, when the moſt of ſoules live well enough on the world, and (as they think) comfortably on their duties, and have no need of Jeſus Chriſt? If you you ſee a man go about to ſell Crutches, and come to one man, and he anſwers, I have leggs of mine own: and to another, and he ſaith, you ſee I can goe without a Staffe, and what need of a Crutch? I will warrant you ſhall ſee that man makes but a poore living on't. So friends, from hence, from hence it is that Chriſt drives no greater trade in the world, although he doth not ſet to ſale new Crutches, but new Legges, new Strength, yea better then you had in the beginning, at ſuch rate alſo, as none can except againſt, viz. without money and without price: (and I read not in the whole Goſpel, that ever he took a farthing for any cure) yet oh the thinneſſe, the thinneſſe of Chriſts Market amongſt poore ſoules notwithſtanding all this! becauſe there are ſo few that need him. Give ſome upon the Lords Day, or a Lecture Day, but an Eſans meſs, Bread and Pottage, and they'l neare complaine of the need of a Chriſt; and this is the reaſon that the doores of your houſes are ſo thick of poore, and the Allies of this houſe ſo thinne. And verily, ſirs, It is an hard matter to come truly to need Chriſt, fully to need Chriſt: ſome ſee their need of Chriſt, that doe not ſee it fully, and even theſe come ſhort of leaning upon Chriſt, Oh! ſaith Satan, ſaith the World, ſaith their own deſperately deceitfull heart, what need you goe ſo farre? there are ſhops nearer that will ſupply your need, as well as Chriſts! and ſo comes one man to drink away his need of Chriſt, and another, to pray away his need of Chriſt. Another parts with his convictions of his need of Chriſt in an Alms that he gives to the poore: I meane when either ſinfull delights, or religious duties, become our ſuports inſtead of Chriſt. The Wordling needs him not, he hath Mammon to lean upon: the Duty-monger needs him not, for he hath hapn'd upon a righteouſneſſe before ever he came at Jeſus Chiſt: he prayes, heares, reads, faſts, and ſaith he, Frustra fit per plura, what need we to put Chriſts righteouſneſſe upon all this? But memorable is that ſcripture, Luk 9.11. He ſpake unto the people of the Kingdome of God, and healed thoſe that had need of healing. O ſirs, the hearing of the voyce of Chriſt, may be unto all people that need him, or need him not; but the healing vertue of Chriſt doth never goe forth unto any, but the ſoules that need, him.
Second Hinderance.2. Hindrance. Fewer yet feel him. Of thoſe that come to need Chriſt many there are that cannot feel him, know not how to come at him. Soules there are that need a Saviour, but have not yet any experimentall perception, that Chriſt is that Saviour; and therefore they come (as the High Prieſt Mark 14.61.) with an Art thou the Chriſt, the Son the bleſſed? or (as John by his Diſciples ſent to Chriſt, Luk. 7.19.) with an Art thou he that ſhould come? or do we look for another? But ſaith Sampſon to the lad that led him, Judg. 16.26. Let me feel the Pillars, that I may leen upon them. The reaſon why ſo few leane upon Chriſt, it becauſe ſo few feele Chriſt; that is, there are few thoroughly convinced and perſwaded, that with Chriſt is ſalvation, and with none other. You have already heard of the Diſciple that leaned upon Chriſts boſome, and how expreſſeth he his experiences of Chriſt? 1 Jo. 1.1. ſaith he, Our hands have handled the word of life. Oh! when the ſoul comes to feel Chriſt in a promiſe, (as Sampſon felt the Pillars) then will the ſoule cordially leane upon Jeſus Chriſt, and not tell then. Therefore it is no ſuch wonder, that there are ſo few that leane upon Chriſt, becauſe you know they are a few indeed that come up to ſuch ſweet and ſoul-ſatisfying experiences of Chriſt.
As for all men naturally, they want an hand to feele Chriſt; for a carnal hand cannot take hold of a ſpiritual object. Sirs, we are all born not Mephiboſheths, not Agrippa's onelyonly; that is, lame of our feet, but lame of our hands alſo, ſo that whileſt we are onelyonly naturall, we cannot take hold of eternal life, 1 Cor. 2.14. The naturall man cannot receive the things of God, becauſe they are ſpiritually diſcerned: He cannot receive ſpiritual things, becauſe he wants a ſpiritual hand, (for the force of the whole verſe lyes clearly in that) and that he wants a ſpiritual hand, becauſe he is no more then a naturall man. If Chriſt would be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, he muſt be connaturallized with us. Compare Heb. 2.16, 17. with Chap. 4.15. And if we would be able to feel ſpirituall things, we muſt (as 1 Cor. 2.12. Be ſpiritualized together with Chriſt; as he partook of our natures, to feel the things of our natures, ſo muſt we partake of the divine nature, to feel the things of Jeſus Chriſt.
And as for many men, their hands and hearts are judicially ſeared (as their Conſciences are cauterized) ſo that if ever they had any thing like feeling, by any common conviction of the Word, or ſtirring of the ſpirit in them, or rather ſtriving of the ſpirit with them: verily they are paſt it now, and ſo no likelihood of their leaning upon the Lord Jeſus, 1 Tim. 4.2. Having their conſcience ſeared with an hot iron, and Ephe. 4.19. Who being paſt feeling. Now theſe are the reaſons why ſo few feel, and this is the reaſon why ſo few lean.
So that the Lord hath ſent me with this word in my mouth unto you, that (as it is written Act. 17.27.) You ſhould ſeek the Lord, if happily you might feel after him, though he be not far from every one of us. If we may ſay ſo (as the Apoſtle there) upon the account of our naturall relation to God; how may we much more ſay, that God is not far, but the Kingdome of God near unto every one of us, upon the account of our Goſpel-relations unto God; therefore let us ſeek him, for to them that have no might (of their own) he reneweth ſtrength, that they may wait upon him, and they that waitingly ſeeke, ſhall feelingly finde: and when thou ſhalt thus come to feele Chriſt, there will be moſt likelihood of thy comming out of the Wilderneſſe leaning upon thy beloved. The