A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 4 · Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI. Two other poſitive Hinderances leaning to
World,
Selfe.
THird Poſitive hinderance that keepes loſt ſoules from leaning on Chriſt, is leaning upon the world. 3d. Poſ. hind. Sinners leane upon the world.worldly Friends, Conveniences, Comforts, and Estates, &c. That worldlings doe ſo, I know not whether ſcriptures, or our owne wretched experiences of our owne wretched hearts, doe moſt fully or frequently confirme, ſome truſt in Chariots, ſome in Horſes, Pſal. 20.7.Proofe. That is in worldly and carnall accommodations. What doe they doe? uſe them? that they ſhould doe, or may doe; but they truſt in them, that they neither ſhould doe, nor may they do: what if they ſhould? the ſad inconvenience is hinted; But we will remember the name of the Lord: as who ſhould ſay, [they cannot] you can never truſt in the Lord of Hoſts, while you truſt to Horſes, and unto Chariots for war-proviſions; and as for peace-proviſions, ſee Pſal. 52.7. Loe, this is the man that made not God his ſtrength, but truſted in the abundance of his riches. That was the reaſon he leaned not upon God, becauſe he leaned upon the incomes of the world. So then as to warre or peace, ſtrength in the former, or wealth in the latter, let the abundance be never ſo great, there is no truſting or leaning to either, if you would lean upon this beloved. Heare Chriſt himſelfe, Luk. 16.13. No ſervant can ſerve two Maſters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or elſe he will hold to the one, (what's that but leaning?) and deſpiſe the other, (what meanes Chriſt by all this?) You cannot ſerve God and Mammon, ſo Iſai. 31.1. Woe to them that ſtay on Horſes, and truſt in Chariots, becauſe they are many, and horſemen, becauſe they are ſtrong, but looke not unto the holy one of Iſrael, nor ſeeke the Lord. What can be plainer? let your Riches in peace, or Forces in warre, be never ſo augmented, the more you leane unto any of them, the leſſe will you lean to Jeſus Chriſt.
I ſhall give you a two-fold word of Conviction for this, viz. That worldlings leane upon the World, and therefore not on Chriſt.
Evidence 1. Becauſe they riſe and fall as the world riſeth and falls with them.Firſt, Becauſe it appeares that worldlings riſe and fall, as the world riſeth and falls: therefore it is evident, that the world is that they leane upon, Pſal. 20.7. They lean on Chariots, they are down and fallen; but we remember thy name, and riſe up. They that have nothing but Chariots, &c. but men, and monies to truſt unto, as their men fall, and monies faile, &c. ſo they fall, and their Spirits faile alſo; but they that leane upon the Lord are not ſo; the remembrance of his name bearer them up, when their enemies ſeeme to beare them down. If the world riſe with ſinners, then their hearts riſe too, Eze. 28.5, 6. Thou haſt by thy wiſdome and traffique, encreaſed thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up, becauſe of thy riches, and thou haſt ſet thine heart as the heart of God. Oh! they take themſelves now to be pettie-Gods, as happy as happy may be, and as high as high may be, and all becauſe that riſeth which is under them: Who ſees not in this caſe, but that they leane upon it?
Again, though they ſaid they were Gods, they ſhall die like men: and though their heart was ſet as the heart of God, when the world went with them; yet when the world goes againſt them, (as you call it) truly then their heart groweth like Nabals, dead within them, 1 Sam. 25.37. &c. If Worldlings did not leane upon the world, they would never thus riſe and ſinke with the world, as you daily ſee they doe.
2ly, 'Tis hence evident,2d. Evidence. They can make better ſhift with the world without Chriſt (as they account) then with Chriſt without the world. that moſt leane upon the world, and not Chriſt, becauſe the moſt can make (as they count) a better ſhift with the world, and without Chriſt, then with Chriſt, and without the world. Many Worldlings are convinced that they have much need of Chriſt, but they thinks alſo that they have more need of Mammon. Now this is evident, that which we can leſt ſpare is our greatest leaning-ſtock: the laſt things a Creeple forgoes, ſhall be his Crutches; the can ill ſpare many other things, but he can worſt of all ſpare them. 'Tis cleare in the Rich man, Mat. 19.22. He went away ſorrowfull, for he had great poſſeſſions. He was perſwaded that Chriſt was to be leaned upon, and that he had need of ſupport and ſuccour from Jeſus Chriſt, elſe why went he ſorrowful away? Oh! but for all that, he could make better ſhift without Chriſt (of the two) then without the world, for he had great poſſeſſions: And now let the iſſue ſpeake, which of theſe two, Chriſt or Mammon, was that which he finally leaned unto.
The fourth and laſt poſitive Hinderance from leaning upon Chriſt, is leaning upon ſelfe. 4th. Poſ. Hind. Leaning upon ſelfe.I am now to ſpeake unto ſuch, as I find my maſter Jeſus Chriſt ſpeaking to, before, He ſpak (ſaith the text) unto certain that truſted in themſelves. Luk. 18.9. I ſhall reduce to four heads what I ſhall ſay hereon. Leaning either to our own Wiſdoms, or Wills, or Righteouſneſses, or Lives will hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Jeſus.
1. Self-wiſdom1. It muſt needs be that leaning to our own Underſtandings, and to the carnal Counſells of our own unregenerate hearts muſt hinder us from leaning upon the Lord Chriſt. This I ſhall evince both from clear Scripture-Teſtimony,Scripture-teſtimony. as alſo from clear Scripture-Reaſon.
Expreſſe is that paſſage, Prov. 3.5. Truſt in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own Underſtanding. If you truſt in the Lord Chriſt with all your hearts, you muſt not lean to your own Underſtandings: if you lean to your own Underſtandings, you cannot truſt in the Lord with all your hearts. So far as you lean to your own Counſell, you will not lean unto the Lords: and if you will incline to the dictates of Gods ſpirit: you muſt diſown the dictates of your own ſpirits: Therefore ſaith Wiſdom, Pro. 22.17.19. Bow down thine Ear, and hear the words of the wiſe (not the voice of thine own heart) and apply thine heart unto my knowledge (not thine own knowledge) that thy truſt may be in the Lord; I have made known this day to thee, even to thee. Our own underſtandings, when moſt corrupted, can make known unto us to lean to carnall Confidences, and ſenſible ſupports: but it is onelyonly the wiſdom of the Lord that can make known unto us to truſt in the Lord.
Scripture-reaſons.Secondly, As for Scripture-reaſons, I ſhall aſſigne theſe two: Our Underſtandings unſanctified are fooliſhneſſe with God, and Enmity againſt God: Therefore leaning unto them muſt needs hinder us from leaning unto Chriſt.
1. It is fooliſhnes with God.1. The Unregenerate mind is fooliſhneſſe as to the apprehending of this Myſtery of leaning upon the Lord Jeſus. Amongſt the Higheſt improvers of the Vnrenewed Intellectuals, we read of many enquiring after their foreign or felicity, and upon inquiry, one ſaith in one thing, another in another, the beſt of them ſay, that virtue is the way to that felicity; which yet they define not according to the Scripture-notion of it, or as identical with divine graces: but an Habit inherent in our ſelves, the feeds whereof are from our ſelves alſo, and the ſpringing and fructifying and Maturity of the fruits from our own ſtudious improvement of what is in us; And who amongſt the wiſeſt of them ever pointed at a Jeſus, as did that Heaven-taught John Baptiſt. Io. 1.9. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the ſins of the World. Nay, how was it poſſible they ſhould ſo do? When Scripture ſaith expreſsly, that the Lord hath hid the myſteries of the Kingdom of Heaven from the wiſe, and prudent of the World, as Mat. 11.25. and as expreſsly, that this is one of the great Myſteries of Godlineſſe, that Chriſt ſhould be believed on in the world. 1 Tim. 3.16. that is, that any ſoule ſhould lean for ſalvation to the righteouſneſſe of another. 1 Cor. 2.14. The naturall man receives not the things of the ſpirit of God, for they are fooliſhneſſe unto him. 1 Cor. 3.19. Even as the wiſdom of this world is fooliſhneſſe with God. As the Lord knowes thy leaning to the Counſells of thine own heart to be very fooliſhneſſe: So doſt thou naturally think leaning to the Lords Counſell concerning Chriſt to be very fooliſhneſs. What's that to mee? (ſaith thy reaſon) how good another is, what can I be the better? Or how is it poſſible that the dying of one man (above ſixteen hundred yeares agoe) ſhall ſave ſo many as expect ſalvation by it now? And thus doe poor hearts often reaſon themſelves from truſting in Chriſt. Ah! how witty was the woman of Samaria in cavilling againſt Chriſt. Ioh. 4.11.12.15. Her wit had almoſt fool'd her for ever; and (as we ſpeak of ſome that they will ſave their jeſt though they loſe their friend) this over-wiſe woman had in making her jeſts almoſt unhappily loſt her Saviour, but Chriſt would not ſo loſe her.
Secondly,2. Emnity againſt God. Our Unregenerate or carnall mind its not onelyonly fooliſhneſſe, and ſo not able to receive the things of God, but alſo Emnity againſt God, Rom. 8.7. therefore ſaith Paul, is it not ſubject to the Law of God, neither can it be. Now what is the great Goſpel-Law? why, This is his Commandement that we ſhould believe on the Lord Jeſus, 1 Joh. 3, 23. To this Commandement the Carnall mind neither is, nor can be ſubject: Lean upon the Lord Jeſus. Tell mee what ſay your Carnall minds unto this Commandement? It is obvious to every obſervant eye, that there is not any Commandement of the Law that is more repugnant to Carnall reaſon, then this Law of the Goſpel, and Carnall reaſon unto it. Ariſtotle, and the other heathen Philoſophers could hit upon an Ens entium, a being of beings, and that was ſomewhat like the firſt Commandement: and upon a Deus eſt colendus, and that is ſomewhat like the ſecond Command: They alſo could account vowes and oaths ſacred, &c. and that was ſomething like the third Commandement; they had ſome ſuperſtitious feaſts in ſemblance of the fourth, and as for the ſecond Table of Commandements, Honor Parents, kill not, whore not, ſteal not, lie not, they could all with open mouth declaim in that Language, and as for Covetouſneſſe much could they inveigh againſt it; although the more ſpirituall part of there was too ſublime for them: But as for this Commandement they were ſo far from finding it out themſelves, and the beſt of them deſpiſingly called the Chriſtians Credentes; as if their faith were their abſurdity, wheras God calls all ſuch unreaſonable or abſurd that have not Faith. 2 Theſ. 3.2. And thus they made a mock at Jeſus, and that was the very Object of their deſpightfull and Opprobrious Oppoſition, which wee know to bee the onelyonly way of our ſalvation, viz. Leaning upon the Beloved. Thus their Wiſdome made them mockers, and their mocking made their Bonds of unbeliefe ſo ſtrong (as God threatneth, Iſa. 28.22.) that nothing was found a more very Enemy to primitive Chriſtianity, than that ſelf-taught Reaſon, and Heatheniſh Philoſophy. So then it is not onelyonly the fooliſhneſſe of our heats, but the wiſdom of our hearts alſo that flyes in the very face of Goſpell-truth, and cryes out as Joh. 3.4. How can theſe things be? Therefore the ſpirit ſaith not, that the World through fooliſhneſſe knew not God: But after that the World through wiſdom knew not God, it pleaſed God that by the fooliſhneſſe of preaching, to ſave them that believe. 1 Cor. 1.21. Whence it is evident, that as there is nothing that ſets it ſelfe more directly againſt the Knowledge of Chriſt then the Carnall, Worldly, Naturall mans wiſdom: ſo neither doth that wiſdom oppoſe any thing more then believing in Chriſt, and therefore it accounts the preaching of faith fooliſhneſſe. What (ſaith Carnall Reaſon) will you take hold on the Lord with unwaſhed hands? ſtay, ſtay, till your hands be cleanſed, and then 'tis more likely that Chriſt will ſuffer you to lean upon him. Yea, but what can purifie the heart but faith. And I will lean upon Chriſt, not becauſe I am holy and like him: but that I may be holy and pure as he is pure; and believe, and reſt upon him, that I may be ſanctified by him, ſuch ſhould the language of faith be.