40. Christ and His People in the Wilderness
40
Christ and His People in the Wilderness1
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
—Hosea 2:14
I rejoice that He is come and has chosen you in the furnace; it was even there where you and He set tryst.2 That is an old gate3 of Christ’s: He keeps the good old fashion with you that was in Hosea’s days: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak [to her heart]” (Hos. 2:14). There was no talking to her heart while He and she were in the fair and flourishing city and at ease, but out in the cold, hungry, waste wilderness, He allured her. He whispered news into her ear there and said, “Thou art Mine.” What would you think of such a bode?4 You may soon do worse than say, “Lord, hold all; Lord Jesus, a bargain it is. It shall not go back on my side.”
You have gotten a great advantage in the way of heaven, that you have started to the gate in the morning. Like a fool, as I was, I suffered my sun to be high in the heaven and near afternoon before ever I took the gate by the end. I pray you, now keep the advantage you have. My heart, be not lazy; set quickly up the brae5 on hands and feet, as if the last pickle6 of sand were running out of your glass and death were coming to turn the glass. And be very careful to take heed to your feet in that slippery and dangerous way of youth that you are walking in. The devil and temptations now have the advantage of the brae of you and are upon your wand-hand and your working-hand.7 Dry timber will soon take fire. Be covetous and greedy of the grace of God, and beware that it be not a holiness which comes only from the cross; for too many are that way disposed. “When He slew them, then they sought him, and they returned and enquired early after God…. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues” (Ps. 78:34, 36). It is part of our hypocrisy to give God fair, white words when He has us in His grips (if I may speak so) and to flatter Him till He win8 to the fair fields again. Try well green9 godliness, and examine what it is that you love in Christ. If you love only Christ’s sunny side and would have only summer weather and a landgate,10 not a sea-way, to heaven, your profession will play you a slip, and the winter-well will go dry again in summer.
Make no sport nor bairn’s11 play of Christ; but labor for a sound and lively sight of sin, that you may judge yourself an undone man, a damned slave of hell and of sin, one dying in your own blood, except Christ come and rue12 for you and take you up. And, therefore, make sure and fast work of conversion. Cast the earth deep. And down, down with the old work, the building of confusion that was there before; and let Christ lay new work and make a new creation within you. Look to see if Christ’s rain goes down to the root of your withered plants and if His love wound your heart until it bleeds with sorrow for sin and if you can pant and fall aswoon and be like to die for that lovely one, Jesus. I know that Christ will not be hid where He is; grace will ever speak for itself and be fruitful in well-doing. The sanctified cross is a fruitful tree; it brings forth many apples.
1. Letters, no. 186, 363–65.
2. tryst: a meeting at a certain place and time
3. gate: way, manner of doing
4. bode: offer with view to a bargain
5. brae: hill
6. pickle: small grain
7. The wand-hand is the hand that holds the rod, or whip, and the hand that guides the horse is the working hand.
8. win: reaches, attains to
9. green: to long after
10. landgate: land way
11. bairn’s: children’s
12. rue: be sorry