A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 4 · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV. Containes the improvement of the whole by way of Exhortation and Direction, how to improve Christ as the onelyonly Guide.
ANd thus have I done with the Obſtructions, Privative, and Poſitive, having endeavoured to hinder them from hindring leaning upon Chriſt.
There remaines but one Queſtion, the Reſolution whereof let it ſerve as the Application of the whole.
The fifth and laſt Queſtion is,5th. Queſt. What advantage is to be had for loſt ſinners by leaning on Jeſus Chriſt.
What advantage a loſt or bewildred ſinner may attaine (as to its ſpirituall Eſtate) by leaning on this beloved?
Even as much as heart can wiſh. The ſoule that takes hold on Chriſt, takes hold on the Way: the ſoule that leanes upon Chriſt▪ leanes upon the Guide, that goes to God, and leanes to Canaan, and therefore that ſoule ſhall never periſh in the Wilderneſſe.
Now therefore for APPLICATION.Application.
Is it ſo that ſin is a Wilderneſſe? that a ſinfull Eſtate is a bewildred Eſtate? that it is the ſoules great buſineſſe, and onelyonly needful concernment, to come up from this Wilderneſſe? and that there is no comming up, but by leaning upon the Lord Jeſus? Oh!Exhortation. If Chriſt be a guide, to leane upon him. If Chriſt be a way, to walke in him. then
Let me plead with you, let me earneſtly exhort you as you love your ſoules, and would not dye in your ſinnes; if Chriſt be a GUIDE, to lean upon Him, if Chriſt be a WAY, to walke in him.
What ſaiſt thou poore loſt ſoule, that art loſt indeed, loſt in thy ſelfe, bewildred in thy ſelfe, undone in thy ſelfe, what wouldſt thou have? what ſeekſt thou for? ſaiſt thou; Oh! I would have a Guide, I ſeeke a Way: Friend, God hath provided; behold both in one beloved. Loe this I have ſearched and found it, and ſo it is, hear thou, and know thou it for thy good.
1. Chriſt is a Guide. 1. Iſraels guidances were all Types of Chriſt, as our Guide.Firſt, Chriſt is the Guide, take hold on him.
1. Know, That all the Guidances that Iſrael had of old to lead them out of that their Wilderneſſe, were but Types of Chriſts ſpirituall guidance of loſt ſoules out of the ſpiritual wilderneſſe of ſin.
The principall guidances of the old Iſrael, were the Pillar of Cloud, the Angel, Moſes, Aaron, and Joſuah.
1. The Cloud.The Pillar of Cloud, you have hiſtorified in ſuch language, as plainly enough ſpeaks this guidance, and Chriſt in it, Exod. 13.20. You find Iſrael in the wilderneſs, and then it followes, verſe 21. And the Lord (Chriſt) went before them by daie in a pillar of Cloud (there's the Type) to lead (or guide) them in the way; this Pillar was to guide them (as the Pillar of fire to enlighten them.) This Cloud is brought downe to Chriſt, as a figure of Goſpel-Baptiſm into him, 1 Cor. 10.1. &c. Here they are ſaid to be under the Cloud, and verſe 2. they were baptized in the Cloud, The Cloud an Old-teſtament-type, and Baptiſm a New-teſtament-Ordinance, goe together in this Text, to ſhew that Chriſt and the Cloud went together in the other Text, and by the rule of proportion; as the Rock in the fourth verſe, is ſaid to be a ſpiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Chriſt; ſo may I ſay, that that Cloud that went before them, was a ſpirituall Cloud, and that Cloud was Chriſt.
2ly, The Angell.Their next Guidance that I ſhall ſpeake of, is the Angel, you have this mentioned and Chriſt in it, Exo. 23.20. Behold I ſend an Angel before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring (or guide) thee to the place which I have prepared for thee. The language of the next words, (verſe 21.) ſpeakes this Angel to be Chriſt, being not to be attributed unto any mere Creature. Beware of him, and obey his voice, and provoke him not, for he will not pardon thine iniquities, for my name is in him. Therefore alſo is this Angell ſaid to be their Saviour, and he that ſaved them (which was Chriſt alone) is ſaid to be the Angel of Gods preſence, Iſai. 63.9. This is the Angel that was in the Church in the Wilderneſſe, who ſpake to Moſes on Mount Sina, and with our fathers, Act 7.38.
Farther, That Moſes and Aaron were their great Guides, 3ly, Moſes and Aaron.is expreſly averred, Pſal. 77.20. He led his people through the Wilderneſſe by the hand (or guidance) of Moſes and Aaron: And that they were manifeſt types, is the great ſubject of the diſcourſe of the Author to the Hebrewes, Chap. 3. ch. 5. ch. 8. ch. 9. &c.
Laſtly, That Joſuah their laſt guide,4ly, Joſuah. All theſe were guides to Iſrael, and types of Chriſt who conducted them to Canaan, is an eminent Type of Chriſts guidance, appeares clearly, from his Name (the ſame with Jeſus a Saviour) his ſucceſſion to Moſes (as Chriſt alſo came after the Law, Rom. 8.3.) His perfecting ſalvation for the people (as Chriſt alſo ſaves to the uttermoſt, Heb. 7.25.) his leading them to the Land of Reſt (as Chriſt our Jeſus is ſaid doe, Heb. 4.8, 9, 14, 16.) ſo that we may in our ſpiritual bewildrings, have ſtrong conſolation, could we leane upon Chriſt under the Types aforementioned, could we ſtudie him more, and underſtand him better, even under Old-teſtament-Repreſentations.
So then wouldſt thou have a Cloud to guide thee, an Angell to goe before thee, a Moſes to lead thee, a Joſuah to bring thee into Canaan, and doſt not finde all theſe in Chriſt, 'tis either thy groſſe ignorance, or great unbeliefe; wherefore beware of Chriſt, and obey his voyce, follow his guidance, walke in his footſteps, and leane on his Arme, if ever thou intend to come up from the Wilderneſſe.
2ly, Chriſts guidance was the ſum of the Covenant.2ly, If you looke into the holy Covenant, the Oath which God ſware unto Abraham, the mercy promiſed to our forefathers, Luk. 1.72, 73. And there finde your ſoules (in the Wilderneſſe that I have ſpoken of) in darkneſſe, and in the ſhadow of death: you ſhall alſo finde this to be the ſumme of the Covenant, that Chriſt ſhould thence GUIDE our feet in the way of peace, v. 79.
3ly, Chriſt was trained up in, and acquainted with the Wilderneſs.3ly, As Guides are (as it were) trained up in, and made acquainted with the dangerous and difficult paſſages of perilous and deſolate waies, ſo was our Saviour as to all the windings of the Wilderneſſe of ſinne. Wherefore he that was given, as you have heard before, to be our Guide, was led of the Spirit into the Wilderneſs, (I take it to be a materiall Wilderneſſe, but it was) that he might be tempted of the Devill, Mat. 4.1. And in that Wilderneſſe he was forty daies tempted of the Devill, Luk. 4.2. And in all that time was Chriſt learning out the various windings and entanglings of the waies of temptation, and paths of ſinne. Satan ſhewes him the greenneſſe, and pleaſant places of the Wilderneſſe, and glory thereof to entangle him, Luk. 4. verſes 5, 6, 7. Satan leads him from way to way, and from turning to turning, from pride and preſumption, verſe 3. to covetouſneſſe and voluptuouſneſſe, verſe 6. from thence to ſelfe-murther and tempting of God, verſe 9. from ſinning against Scripture, to ſinne with authority from Scripture, verſe 10. becauſe Chriſt urg'd Scripture againſt him: And though the Hiſtory be but ſhort, yet were theſe viewes of the Wilderneſſe ſo long, that it ſeemes our Saviour had a full ſight of all the Wilderneſſe, but never was bewildred in any part of it; for had he been ſo, we had been loſt to all eternity: Wherefore when the Apoſtle had beene comparing our ſtate to Iſraels in the Wilderneſs, Heb. 3. and 4. he leads us to Chriſt as our guide, ch. 4.14. and aſſures us for our comfort, that he was, (viz. in the dayes of his temptation in the wilderneſs) in all points (marke that) tempted like as we are, yet without ſinne, and ſo you have both together in one Scripture. Heb. 4.15.
Fourthly, For that very end was Chriſt thus trained up (as it were) in,4ly, To the end he might be able to lead us out of the Wilderneſſe. and acquainted (for ſome time) with this wilderneſſe, that he might be a ſutable and well-inſtructed guide to lead us out of the Wilderneſſe of ſin and temptations: For in that he himſelf hath ſuffered being tempted, he is able to ſuccour them that are tempted. Heb. 2.18. which ſcripture, if put together with thoſe before quoted, tells us plalnly, that Chriſt was led into every part of the Wilderneſſe (not one corner excepted) yet not all bewildred: in all the points of temptation, yet without ſin, and all this was that he might be able to ſuccour thoſe that are tempted.
Laſtly,5ly, Chriſt is in all reſpects an able Guide. ſuch a guide is Jeſus Chriſt that whatſoever hath concluded thee under an impoſſibility of coming up from the Wilderneſſe of thy ſelf, may conclude thee under fair hopes, yea, full aſſurance of coming thence, if thou lean upon the Lord Jeſus. As
Firſt, The Wilderneſſe, thou complaineſt,1. A great Guide. is great (and therefore terrible) this Guide is greater, and therefore (if thou lean on him) thy condition is hopefull: He that is given us for a Guide, Luk. 1.79. is ſaid to bee the great Prophet ariſen amongſt us. Luk. 17.16. where alſo what is ſaid on the account of this guidance concerning John as Chriſts fore-runner. Luk. 1.68. is here applyed to Chriſt, The Lord hath viſited his people, and ſo the ſpring from on high hath viſited us, to give light to them that ſit in darkneſſe, &c. and to guide, &c. Luk. 1.78, 79. And how great comfort may the thoughts of this great Prophet be unto thee in this great Wilderneſſe?
Secondly, The Wilderneſſe, thou maiſt complain,2. A Guide full of eyes. is full of waies (diverſe temptations) but know that this guide is full of eyes: he hath eyes enough to look out into all the Earth. Rev. 5.6. Therefore if Satan lead Peter into a new way, Chriſt will follow Satan with a new watch: ſaith Chriſt unto Peter, I have pray'd for thee that thy faith fail not. Luk. 22.32.
3. Able to extricate all Satans wiles.Thirdly, The Wilderneſſe, thou maiſt complain, is very intricate: but know, that as this Guide is able to eſpie out all the wiles of Satan, ſo can he make even thee able (by faith in him) to stand againſt thoſe wiles of the Devill. Eph. 6.11.
3. A Pioner as well as Guide.Fourthly, The Wilderneſſe, thou maiſt complain, is crooked, ſtumbling, and uneven; but this Guide who led Iſrael as an horſe in the Wilderneſſe, that he ſhould not ſtumble. Iſa. 63.13. Pioner (to ſpeak ſcripture-language in our own dialect) as well as Guide, and carrieth (as I may ſay with reverence) Word and Spirit along with him, to make the deſert an high-way for our God. Iſa. 40.3. and to make crooked things ſtreight, and rough places plain. verſe 4. yea to make them ſtreight and plain before thee. Iſai. 42.16.
5. A light as wel as Guide.Fifthly, The Wilderneſſe, thou maiſt complaine, is dark and ſhady; and the light comes not to thee But this is a Guide that ever carries a light with him, yea, that is the light as well as the Guide, and to give light, as well as to guide. Luk. 1.79. who hath therefore ſaid, I wil lead the blind in a way that they knew not, and wil make darkneſs light before them. Iſa. 42.16.
6. A Guide who gathered up the thorns.Sixthly, The Wilderneſſe, thou maiſt complain, is full of thorns which catch hold upon thee on the one hand and on the other, but this Guide hath gathered them up and worn them (in their type) in his own Crown, Ioh. 19.2. Inſomuch that though the way of the ſlothfull (that will not, that neglect to come to Chriſt is as an hedge of thornes; yet is the way of the (Evangelically) righteous made plain before him. Pro. 15.19.
7. And will break through the Wilderneſſe.Laſtly, thou maiſt complain, that the Wilderneſſe doth ſhut thee in, and that thy ſin doth eaſily beſet thee. But this Guide ſtands engaged to break his way through this Wilderneſſe, for he hath ſaid, an high-way ſhall be there. Iſa. 35.8.
Wherefore upon theſe accounts let me earneſtly exhort you to come to Chriſt, and to ſay unto him as Moſes ſaid to Hobab his Father in Law, Numb. 10.31: Leave us not I pray thee, foraſmuch as we are in this Wilderneſs, and thou maiſt be unto us inſtead of Eyes. Thou art in a Wilderneſſe, ready otherwiſe to be loſt for ever, oh! goe to Chriſt and implore his guidance, that hee may bee, yea, and accordingly he will be ſure to be unto thy ſoule inſtead of eyes.
And thus much of the firſt, viz. If ſin be a Wilderneſſe, Chriſt the Guide, take hold on him.