Like hungry lions, waves for finners gape:
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the world, treading both underfootintheduft, and crowning myfelf with nothing but ſpiritual excellencies andglory !
J The POEM .
Udge in thyself, OChriſtian! is it meet To fet thyheart on what beafts ſet their feet?
Fis no hyperbole, if yoube told, Youdig for droſs, with mattocks made of gold.
Affections are too coftly to beſtow Upon the fair fac'd nothings here below.
Tine eagle ſcorns to falldown from on high, (The proverb faith) to catch the filly flie.
Andcan a Chriftian leave the face of God, T' embrace the earth, or doatupon a clod ?
Canearthly things thy heart ſo ſtrangely move, To tempt it down from thedelights above ;
And now to court the world at fuch a time A WhenGod is laying judgment to the line?
Tis just like him that doth his cabin ſweep And trim, when all is ſinking in the deep :
Or like the filly bird, that to her neſt Doth carry ſtraws, and never is at reſt,
Till it be feather'd well, but doth not fee The ax beneath, that'shewing down the tree.
If on athorn thy heart itſelf repoſe With fuch delight, what if itwere a roſe ?
Admire, O faint, the wisdom of thyGod, Who of the ſelf fame tree doth make a rod,
Leſt thou ſhould furfeit on forbidden fruit, And live not like afaint, but like a brute..
CHAP.
XVII.
Likehungry lions, waves for finnersgape:
Leave then your fins behind, if you'll escape.
OBSERVATION .
T ners.
HE waves of the fea are ſometimes raiſedbyGod's commiſſion, to be executioners of his threatenings upon finWhen Jonah fled from the presence ofthe Lord to Tarſbiſh, the text faith, " The Lord fent out a greatwind into the "ſea, and therewas amighty tempeſt, ſo that the ſhip was
"like to be broken," Jonah i. 4.
Theſe wereGod's bailiffs, to arreſt the run away prophet. And Pfalm cxlviii. 8. The ſtormy winds are faidto fulfil hisword; notonlyhis word ofcommand,
VOL. VI.
New Compass for Seamen : Or, inrifingwhenGod bidsthem, but his wordof threatening fo. And hence it is called a destroying wind, Jer. li. 1. anda
Stormy wind in God's fury, Ezek . xiii . 13.
APPLICATION.
If theſe be the executioners of God's threatenings, how fad then is their condition that put forth to ſea under the guilt of all their fins ? O, ifGod ſnould commiſſionatethe winds togo after and arreſt thee for all thouoweſthim, whereartthou then?
How dare you put forth under the power of adivine threat, before allbe clearedbetwixtGod and thee ?
Sins in fcripture are called debts, Matth. vi. 12.
They are debts toGod ; not that we owe them to him, orought to fin, but metonymically, becauſe they render the fianer obnoxious toGod's judgments, evenas pecuniasydebts oblige himthathath not wherewith to pay, tofafferpunishment. All fioners muſtundergo the curie, either in theirown perſon, according tothe expreſs letter of the law, Gen. ii. 17. Gal. iii. 16. or their furety, according to the tacit intent of the law, manifeſted to be the mind of the law-giver, Gen. iii. 15. Gal. iii. 13, 14.
Nowhe thatby faithhath intereſt in this furety, hath his difcharge, his quietus eft, fealedinthebloodof Chrift ; all proceſs at law, or fromthe law, is ſtopt, Rom. viii. 1. But if thou be animpenitent, perfifting fioner, thy debt remains upon thine own fcore, " Andbe sure thy fin will find thee out, wherever
" thou goeſt," Numb. xxxii. 23. (i. e.) God's revenging hand for fin will beupon thee : Thou mayeſt lofe the fight and memory of thy ſins, but theylofe not the fight of thee ; they follow after, as the hounddoth the Beeting game uponthe ſcent, tilltheyhave fetched theeup: Andthen confider, " How fear- " ful a thing it is to fall intothe hands of the livingGod,"
Heb. x. 31. Howfoon may a ſtorm arreſt, andbring thee before the barof God?
REFLECTION.
Omy foul, what acafe artthou in, if this be ſo ? Are not all thy fins yetupon thine own ſcore ? Haſt not thou made light of Chrift, and that precious blood of his, and hitherto perſiſtedin thy rebellion against him ? Andwhat canthe iſſue of this be at laft, but ruin ? There is abundant mercy indeed for returning finners; but the goſpel ſpeaks of none for perfifting and impenitent ſinners. Andthough manywho are going ou intheir fins are overtaken by grace, yet there is no grace promiſed toſuch as goonin ſm. O! if God ſhould arreſt me bythe next ſtorm, and call me to an account for all that I owe him, Imuſt then lie in thepriſonofhell toalleternity ; for i
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can never pay the debt ; nay, all the angels inheaven cannot fatisfy for it.
Being chriſtlets, Iam under all the curſes in the book ofGod; a child of Hagar. Lord pity and ſpare me a little longer ! O diſcover thy Chriſt unto me, andgive me faitla inhis blood, and then thou art fully fatisfied at once, and I diſcharged for ever. Orequire not the debt at my hand, for thenthou wiltnever be ſatisfied, nor I acquitted.
What profit, Lord, is there in myblood!
O my soul, make haſte to this Chriſt, thy refuge city; thou knoweſt nothowfoonthe avengerofbloodmay overtake thee..
The POEM.
THY fins are debts, God puts them to account; Canſt tell, poor wretch, to what thy debts amount?
Thou fill'ſt the treafure of thy fins eachhour.
Intohis vialsGoddoth alſo pour Proportionable wrath : Thou ſeeſt it not; But yet afſſure thyſelf, there's drop fordrop.
For every land of patience running out, Adrop of wrath runs ia.
Soul, look about!
God's treaſure's almoſt full, as wellas thine :
When both are full, then the dreadful time Of reck'ning comes; thou ſhalt not gain aday
Of patience more, butthen there haſtes away Heaven's purſevant, who comes uponthewing
With his commiſſion ſeal'd, to take and bring.
Do'lt ſtill reject Chrift's tenders?
Well, next ſtorm May be the bailiff order'd to perform Thisdreadful office. O then reſtleſs be,
TillGod in Chriſt be reconcil'd to thee.
The ſum is great, but if aChriſt thou get, Fear not, aprince canpayabeggar's debt.
Now if the ſtorm ſhould riſe, thou need not fear ; Thou art, but the delinquent isnot there.
Apardoned foul toſea mayboldly go :
He fears not bailiffs, thatdoth nothing owe.
CHAP.
XIX.
To save the ship, rich lading's caft away Thy foul is ſhipwreck'd if thy lusts dostay.
'N Aorms and diſtreſſes at ſea, therichest commodities are caſt I overboard; they ſtand not upon it, when lifeandall is injeopardyandhazard, Jonah i. 5. The mariners caſt forth
A New Compass for Seamen: Or, thewares that were in the ſhip into the ſea, to lighten it. And,
Acts xxvii. 18 , 19. they caſt out the very tacklings of the ſhip.
How highly foever men prize ſuch commodities, yet reaſon tells them, it were better theſe ſhould periſh, than life,
Satan himself couldlay, Job. i. " Skin for skin, and all that a manhath will he give for his life."
APPLICATIΟΝ.
And furely, it is every way as highly reasonable, that men ſhould mortify, caft out, and cut off their dearest lufts, rather than their immortal fouls ſhould fink and periſh in the ſtorm of God's wrath.
Life, indeed, is a precious treaſure, and highly valued by men : You know what Solomon faith, Ecclef. ix. 4.
That " a livingdog is better than adead lion." And we find menwilling to part with their eftates, limbs, or any outward comfort for the preſervation of it.
Thewoman in the golpel ſpent all thehadonthe phyſicians for herhealth, a degree be low life.
Some men indeed do much overvalue their lives, and part withChrift and peace of confcience for it ; but he that thus ſaves it, ſhall loſe it. Now if life be ſo much worth, what then is the foul worth ?
Alas ! life is but a vapour, " which appeareth for a littlewhile, and thenvaniſheth away,"
Jam. iv. 14.
Life indeed is more worth than all the world, but my foul is more worth than ten thouſand lives.
Nature teacheth you tovalue the firſt ſohigh, and grace ſhould teach you to value the ſecond much higher, Matth. xix. 26. Now here is the caſe : Either you must part with your fins, or with your fouls; if theſe be not caft out, both muſt fisk together. " If ye live
" after the fleſh, ye muſt die," Rom. viii. 13. God faith to youin this cafe, as toAhab, when he ſparedBenhadad, 1Kings
ΧΧ. 42. " Becauſe thou hast let goa man,whomGodhath ap- " pointed to deſtruction, therefore thy life hall go for his
" life."
Guilt will raiſe a ſtorm of wrath, as Jonah did, if not caft out.
REFLECTION.
Andmutt fin orthe foul periſh ?
Must my life, yea, my eternal lifego for it, if I ſpare it ? O then let menot be cruel to mine own foul, inſparing my fin ; O my foul, this foolish pity, and cruel indulgence will be thy ruin : If I ſpare it, Godhath faid, " He will not ſpare me," Deut. xxvi . 20.
Itistrue, the pains of mortification are ſharp, but yet it is easier than the pains of hell. To cut off a right hand, or pluck out a right eye, is hard ; but to have myfoul cut off eternally from God, is harder, Is it as eafy (O my foul!) toburn forthem inhell,
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astomortify them on earth ? Surely, it is " profitable for me, " that one member periſh, rather than that all be caſt inro:
" hell," Matth. v. 24. I see the merchant willing to partwith rich wares, if embarked with them in a ſtorm: Andthoſe that have gangrened legs or arms, willingly ſtretch them out to be cut off, to preſerve life: And ſhall Ibe willing toendure no difficulties for my foul ? Chrift reckonedfouls worth his blood:
Andisit notworth my ſelf-denial ?
Lord, let me not warm a ſnake inmy bolom, that willat laſt ſting me tothe heart.
T The POEM.
HY foul's the ſhip, its lading is its lufts, God's judgments, ſtormywinds, and dang'rous guſts ;
Conſcience the maſter ; but the ſtubborn will Goes fupra cargo, anddoth keep the bill :
Affections are the men.
Thewinds doth riſe, The ſtorm increaſes : Confcience gives advice To throw thoſe lufts o'erboard, and ſo to eaſe
The veſſel, which elſecannot keepthe ſeas.
Thewill oppoſes, andth' affections ſay, The mafter's counſel they will not obey.
The cafe is dangerous, that no man candoubt, Who fees the ſtorm within, and that without.
Luſts and affections cannot part ; no, rather, They are reſolv'd to ſwim or ſink together.
Confcience ſtill ſtrives, but they cannot abide That it, or reaſon, ſhould the cafe decide.
Luft knows that reaſon, in like cafes, Aill Determines well : Then chuſe ye whom ye will.
Shall's make the devil judge ?
This cafe has been Before him, and he judg'd, that skin for skin, Andall menhave, they'll partwith for their life.
Then how unreasonable is this ſtrife ?
Theythat their fins dowith their perſons ſhip, Do for their fouls prepare adreadfulwhip.
CHAP.
XX...
Christ, with a word, can furging waves appease :
Hisvoice a troubledjoul can quickly eafe.
OBSERVATΙΟΝ.
THEN the fea works, and is tempestuous, itisnotinthe power of anycreature to appeaſe it. When the Egyp tians would by their hieroglyphics expreſs an impoflibility, they did it by the picture of aman treading upon the waves
A New Compass for Seamen: Or, It is ſtoried of Canute, an antient Daniſh king, thatwhen a mighty ſtorm of flattery aroſe upon him, he appeaſed it by ſhewing that he could not appeaſe the ſea: Butone ofhis courtiers toldhim, as he rode near the ſea-ſide, ' That he was Lord of the ſea, as well as land.' ' Well, (faid theking) we ſhall ſee
' that by andby; and ſowent to the water ſide, and with a loudvoicecried, 'O ye ſeas andwaves,comeno further, touch
* not my feet.'
But the sea came up, notwithstanding that charge, andconfuted the flattery.
Butnow Jeſus Chrift hath command of them indeed:
It is faid of him, Matth. viii. 26.
That he rebuked them. And Mark iv. 38. He quiets them with aword, Peace, bestill ; as one would huſh a child, and itobeyed him. APPLICATIΟΝ.
Conſcience, when awakened by the terrors of the Lord, is likea raging tempestuous ſea; ſo it works, ſo it roars ; and it is not in the power of all creatures to huſh or quiet it.
Spiritual terrors, as well as ſpiritual confolations, are not knowa till felt. O whenthe arrows of the Almighty are ſhot intothe ſpirit, and the terrorsofGod ſet themselves in array against the foul; when the venom of thoſe arrows drinkup the fpirits, and thoſe armies of terrors charge violentlyand ſucceſſivelyupon it, as Job vi. 4.
What creature then is able to ſtandbeforethem !
EvenGod's own dear children have felt ſuch terrors, as have distracted them, Pfal. lxxxi. 15. Conſcience isthe feat of guilt; it is like a burning glaſs, ſo it contracts the beams of the threatnings, twiſts them together, and reflects them on the ſoul, until it ſmoke, ſcorch, andflame. If the wrath of aking be like the roaring of a lion, then what is the Almighty's wrath ! which is burning wrath, Job xix. 11. Tearing wrath, Plal.
1. 22.
Surprizing wrath, Job xx. 23. And abiding wrath, Job iii . 36.
Inthiscaſenocreature can relieve; all are phyſiciansofno value; ſome under theſe terrors have thoughtheil more tolerable, and by a violenthand have thrust themselves out of the world into it, to avoid theſe gnawings : Yet Jeſus Chriſt can quicklycalm theſe myſtical waves alſo, and huſh them with a word; yea, he isthe Phyſician, and noother. Itis the ſprinkling of his blood, which, like a cooling fomentation, allays thoſe heats within : That blood of sprinkling ſpeaks peace, when all others have practiſed uponthe foul tonopurpoſe; and thereaſon is, becauſe he is a Perſon in whom God and man, juſticeand mercy, meet, and kiſs each other, Eph. ii. 14, And hence faith fetches inpeace tothe foul, Rom. v. 1.
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REFLECTION.
Cannone appeaſe atroubledconfcience, but Chriſt ? Then learn, O my foul, tounderſtand, and daily, more and more, to favour that glorious name, even Jeſus, that deliversnot only fromthewrath tocome, but that which is felt here alſo.
0, if the foretaſte of hellbe ſo intolerable, if a fewdrops, let fall onthe confcience in this life, be ſo ſcalding and inſufferable, what is it to have all the vials poured out to eternity, when there ſhall be nothing todivert, mitigate, or allay it ?
Heremenhave ſomewhat to abatethoſe terrors, ſome hopes of mercy, at least a poſſibility ; but there is none. Omyfoul ! how art thou loaded with guilt ! and what a Magormiſſabib wouldſt thoube, ſhouldGod rouſe that fleepy lion in thybofom! My condition is notat all thebetter, becauſemy conſcience is quiet. Ah, theday is coming, whenitmust awake, and will lighten and thunder terriblywithin me, if I get not intoChrift the fooner. O Lord, whoknowsthe power of thy wrath ? O let me notcarry this guilt out of the world withme, tomaintain thoſe everlasting flames ; let me give no fleep to mine eyes, nor ſlumber to my eye-lids, till I feel the comfort of thatbloodof ſprinkling, which alone ſpeaketh peace.
AMOD The POEM .
Mong the dreadful works of God, I find No metaphors to paint a troubledmind.
I think onthis, nowthat, andyet will neither Come fully up, though all beput together.
'Tis like the raging fea that caſtsup mire, Or like to Aetna, breathing ſmoke and fire;
Or like a rouſed lion, fierce and fell ; Or like thoſe furies thatdo howl in hell.
Oconfcience ! whocan ſtand before thy power, Endure thy gripes, and twinges but an hour?
Stone, gout, ſtrappado, racks, whatever is Dreadful to ſenſe, is but atoy to this.
No pleaſures, riches, honours, friends cantell Howtogive eaſe : In this 'tis like tohell.
Call for the pleasanttimbrel, lute and harp ; Alas! the muſic howls, the pain's too tharp
Fortheſe tocharm, divert, or lull afleep :
Theſecannot reach it, no, thewound's toodeep.
Letall the promiſes before it ſtand, And ſet aBarnabas at it's right hand; Theſe in themselves no comfort can afford,
'Tis Chrift, and nonebutChriſt, can speak theword.