CHAP XXV
ANew Compass for Seamen : Or, CHAP .
XXV.
In storms to spread muchfailendangers all :
So carnalmirth, if God for mourning call.
OBSERVATION.
N storms at sea, the wise navigator will not spread much I fail; that is the way to to lose masts and all. They use theu to furlup the fails,and lie a hull,when not able to bear a knor of fail, or else to lie a try, or seud before the wind and seas
It is no time then to hoist up the top and top-gallant, and shewtheir bravery.
APPLICATION.
When the judgments of God are abroad in the earth, it is no time then to make mirth, Ezek. xxi. 10. " Should we
" [then] make mirth ? Itcontemneththe rod of my son as e66 very tree." (i. e.)As if it were a common rod, and ordinary affliction: whereas the rod of my son is not such as may be had of every tree; but it is an iron rod to such as despise it,
Psalm ii. 9. O it is a provoking evil, and commonlyGodseverelypunishes it. Of all persons such speed worst in the common calamity.
Amos vi. 1. "Woe to them that are at ease " in Sion, that are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph," as ver. 6. It may be (as one observes upon the text) they did not laugh at him, or breakjefts upon him ; but they did not condole witlfhim.
And what fwall be their punishment ! fee verse7. "Therefore now shall they go captive with the first
" that go captive:" God will begin with them first.
Solomon tells us, Ecclef. iii. 4. " There is a time to weep,and a " time to laugh ; a time to mourn, and a time to dance ?"
• Only (as mafterTrap notes upon the text)we must not in- •vert the order, but weep with men, that we may laugh with * angels.'
To be merry and frolic in a day oftribulation, is to disturb the order of seasons.
That is a terrible text, Ifa. xxii. 12. which should make the hearts of fuchs are guilty in this kind to tremble : " In that day did the Lord of hosts call
" to mourning, and to girding with fackloth ; and behold,joy " and gladness, flayingoxen, killing sheep, drinking wine,"
&c.
Well, what is the issue of this ? " Surely, this iniquity "shall not bepurgedfromyoutillyedie." Odreadful word! surely(my brethren) sympathy is a debt we owe to Christ mystical.
Whatever our constitution, condition, or personal immunities be, yet when God calls for mourning, we must
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hearandobeythat call. Davidwas a king, an expert musician, am an ofa sanguine, and chearful constitution ; yet who more sensible of the evil of those times than he? Rivers of water ran down his eyes at the consideration of them.
Melanchon was so affected with the miseries of the church in his days, that he seemed to take little or no notice of the death of his child, whom he entirely loved. At such atimewemay " say
" of laughter, thou art mad, and of mirth, what doth it."
REFLECTION.
Blush then, O my foul ! for thy levity and insensibility under God's angrydispensations. How many of the precious sons and daughters ofSion, lie in tears abroad, while I have been "nourishing my heart, as in a day of slaughter ? The " voice of God hath cried to the city, and men of understand- " inghave heard its voice," Micah vi. 9.
But I have been deaf to that cry. How loth (my God)haveIbeentourgemy sensual heart to acts of sorrow and mourning ! Thou hast bid me weep with them that weep,but my vain heart cannot comply with such commands. Ab, Lord! IfI mourn not with Sion, neither shall I rejoice with her.
O,were mine eyes opened, and my heart sensible and tender, I might fee cause enough to melt into tears! and like that Christian Niobe, Luke vii. 38. to lie weeping at the feet of Christ.
Lord, what stupidity is this ! shall laugh, when thou art angry, and thy children weeping and trembling ? Then I may justly fear, left " when they shall sing for joy of heart, I " shall howl for vexation of spirit," Ifa. lxv. 13, 14. Surely,O my soul! such laughter will be tarnedinto mourning, either here or hereafter.
The POEM.
Ntroublous times,mirth in the sinner's face I Is like a mourning-cloak with silver-lace.
The lion's roaring makes the beasts to quake :
God's roaring judgments cannot make us shake.
What belluine contempt is this of God, To laugh in's face,when he takes up the rod ?
Such laughterGodin tears will surely drown, (Unless he hate thee) e'er he lay it down.
These rods have voices, if thou hear them well ; If not, another rod's prepar'd in hell :
And when the arm of God shall lay it on, Laugh if thou canst; no,then thy mirth is gone.
A New Compass for Seamen : От All Sion's children will lament and cry, When all her beauteous stones in dust do lie ?
And he that for her then laments and mourns, Shall want no joy,when God to her returns.
CHAP XXVI.
A little leak neglected, dangerous proves :
Onefin connived at, thefoulundoes.
OBSERVATION.
HE smallest leak, ifnottimelydiscovered and stopt, is T enoughtofink a ship of the greatest burden: Therefore seamen are wont frequently to try what water is in the hold; and if they find it fresh, and increasing upon them, they ply the pump, and presently set the carpenters to search for it and stop it ; and till it be found they cannot be quiet.
APPLICATION.
What such a leak is to as hip, that is the finallest sin neglec ted to the soul ; it is enough to ruin it eternally.
For as the greatest fin, discovered, lamented,and mourned over by a believer, cannot ruin him ; so the least sin indulged, covered, and connived at, will certainly prove the destruction of the sinner.
No fin, though never so small, is tolerated by the pure and perfect law of God, Psalm cxix. 96. The commandisexceeding broad ; not as ifitgavemena latitude to walk as they please, but broad, (i. e.) extending itself to all our words, thoughts, actions, and affections: Laying a law upon them all; conniving at no evil in anyman, I Pet. ii. 1 .
And as the word gives no allowance for the least fin, so it is the very nature of sincerity and uprightness, to set the heart against [every] way of wickedness, Psalm cxxxix. 23, 24.
Job xxxi. 13. and especially against that fin which was its darling in the days of his vanity, Psalm xviii. 23.
True hatred (as the philosopher observes) is of the whole * kind; He that hates fin, as fin, and so doth every upright foul, hateş all fins as well as some.
Again, the soul that hath had a saving fight of Jesus Christ, and a true discovery of the evil of fin, in the glass both of the law and gospel, can account no sin small. He knows the demerit of the smallest sin is God's eternal wrath, and that not the least fincanberemitted, without the shedding and applica
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tion of the blood of Christ, Heb. ix. 22. which blood is of infinite value and price, I Pet. i. 19.
To conclude, God's people know, that little as well as great fins, are dangerous, deadly, and destructive in their own na ture; a little poison will destroy am an . Adrian was choaked with a gnat, Caesar stabbed with bodkins. Am an would think
Adam's finhad been no great matter,yet what dreadful work did it make! It was not as a single bullet, to killhimselfonly; but as a chain-shot,which cut off all his poor, miserable posterity.
Indeed, no fin çan be little, because its object, against whom it is committed, is so great, whence it receives a kind ofinfiniteness in itself, and because the price paid to redeem us. from it is so invaluable.
REFLECTION.
And is the smallest fin not only damning in its own nature, but will certainly prove the ruin of that foul that hides and covers it ; O then let my spirit accomplish a diligent search.
Look to it, O my foul ! that no finbe indulged by thee; set these considerations as so many flaming swords in the way of thy carnal delights and lusts: Let me never fay of any fin, as Lot did of Zoar, " It is a little one, spare it." Shall I spare that which cost the blood of Jesus Christ ? The Lord would not spare him, " When he made his soul an offering for fin,"
Rom. viii. 32. Neither will he spare me, ifI defend and hide it, Deut. xxix. 20. Ah ! if my heart were right, and my conversation found, that lust, whatever it be, that is so favouredby me, would especially be abhorred, and hated, Ifa. ii. 20. and xxx. 22. Whatever my convictions and reformations have been, yetiftherebebut one finretained, and delighted in, this keeps the devil's interest still in my soul. And though for a time he seem to depart, yet at last he will return with seven worse spirits, and this is the fin that will open the door to him, and deliver up my soul, Matth. xii. 43, 44.
Lord, let me make thorough work of it; let me cut it off, and pluck it out, though it be as arighthand, or eye. Ah! shall I come so near the kingdom of God, and make such a fair offer for Christ , and yet stick at a small matter, and lose all for want of one thing ? Lord, let me shed the blood of the dearest lust, for his sake that shed his dearest blood for me !
The POEM.
Here's many a soul eternally undone
But we are much deceiv'd; nofin is small,
A New Compass for Seamen: Or, That wounds so great a God, so dear afoul.
Yet say it were, the finallest pen-knife may, As well as sword, or lance,dispatch and slay.
And shall so small a matter part and sever Christ and thy soul? What! make you part for ever ?
Or wiltthou stand on toys with him,when he Deny'dhimselfin greatest things for thee ?
Or will it be an ease in hell to think How easily thy foul therein did fink ?
AreChristandhell for trifles fold and bought?
Strike fouls with trembling, Lord, at suchathought!
By little sins, belov'd, the soul is lost, Unless such finsdogreat repentance cost.
CHAP.
XXVII.
Ships make much way when they a trade-wind get ; Withfuch a wind the faints haveever met.
OBSERVATION.
Hough Hough in most parts of the worldthewinds are variable, and sometimes blow from every point of the compass, by reason whereof, failing is flow, and dangerous ; yet about the Equinoctial, seamen meet with a trade-wind, blowing, for the most part, one way ; and there they sail jocund before it, and scarce need to lower a top-fail for some hundreds of leagues.
APPLICATION.
Although the people ofGodmeet withmanyfeeming rubs and set-backs in their way to heaven,which are like contrary winds toa ship; yet are they from the day of their conversion, to the day of their complete salvation, never out of a trade wind'sway to heaven. Rom. viii. 21. " We know that all
" things work together for good, to them that love God, to " them that are called according to his purpose."
This is a most precious scripture, pregnant with its consolation to all believers in all conditions, a pillar of comfort to all distressed faints : Let us look a little nearer to it.
(We know) Mark the certainty and evidence of the proposition, which is not built upon a guess or remote probability,but upon the knowledge of the saints ; we know it, and that i partly by divine revelation,God has told us so; and partly by our own experience, we find it so.
(That all things) Not only things that lie ina natural and
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direct tendency to our good ; as ordinances, promises, blessings, &c. but even such things as have no natural fitness and tendency to such an end ; as afflictions, temptations, corruptions, desertions, &c. all these help onward.
They (Work together.) Not all of them directly, and of their own nature and inclination ; but by being over-ruled, and determined to such an issue by the gracious hand of God : Nor yet do they work out such good to the saints, fingly, and apart, but as adjuvant causes or helps, standing under, and working insubordination to the supreme and principal cause of their happiness.
Now, the most seeming opposite things, yea, sin in itself, which in its own nature is really opposite to their good, yet eventually contributes to it. Afflictions and desertions seem to work against us,but being once put into the rank and order of causes,they work together with such blessed instruments, as word and prayer, to an happy issue. And though the faces of
these things, that so agree and work together, look contrary ways ; yet there are, as it were, secret chains and connexions of providence betwixt them, to unite them in their issue.
There maybe many instruments employed about one work, and yet not communicate counsels, or hold intelligence with each other.
Joseph's brethren, the Midianites, Potiphar, &c. knew not one another's mind, nor aimed at one end, (much less the end that God brought aboutbythem) one acts out of revenge, another for gain, a third out of policy ; yet all meet together at last, in thatissueGodhaddesigned to bring about by them, even Joseph's advancement. Even so it is here, Christian, there are more instruments at work for thine eternal good, than thou art aware of.
REFLECTION.
Chearup then,O my soul, and lean upon this pillar of comfort in all distresses.
Here is apromife forme, ifI am a called one; that, like the philosopher's stone, turns all into gold it toucheth.
This promise is my security; however things go in the world, my God " will do me no hurt," Jer. xxv. 6. Nay, he will do me good by every dispensation. "O that I had but
" an heart to make all things work for his glory, that thus " causeth everything to work for my good." My God, dost thou turn everything to my advantage ? O let me return all to thy praise; and if by every thing thou work my eternal good, then let me in everything give thanks.
But ah! howfoolishand ignorant have I been ? even as a beast before thee. How hath myheartbeendisquieted, and apt to repineatthydispensations,whentheyhave croffedmywi
A New Compass for Seamen : Or, not considering that my God faithfully pursues my good,even in those things that cross, as well as in that which pleases me.
Blessed Lord ! what a blessed condition are all thy people in, who are within the line of this promise ? All things friendly and beneficial to them ; friends helpful; enemies helpful; every thing conspiring, and conducing to their happiness. With others it is not fo ; nothing works for their good; nay, every thing works against it : their very very mercies are snares,and their prosperity destroys them; Prov. i. 32. even the blessed gospel itself is a favour of death to them : when evil befals them, " it is
" an only evil," Ezek. vii. 5. that is, not turned into good to them ; and as their evils are not turned into good, so all their good is turned into evil. As this promise hath an influence into all that concerns the people of God, so the curse hath an influence into all the enjoyments of the wicked. O my soul, bless the Lord,who hath caftthy lot intofuch a pleasant place, and given thee such a glorious heritage, as this promise is .
W The POEM.
HEN once the dog star rises, many fay, Corn ripens thenapace, both night and day.
Souls once in Christ, that morning-star lets fall Such influences on them, that all God's dispensations to them then, sweet or four,
Ripen their souls for glory ev'ry hour.
All their afflictions, rightly understood, Are blessings ; ev'ry wind will blowfomegood.
•Sure at their troubles faints would never grudge, Were sense deposed, and faith made the judge.
Falls make them warier, amend their pace ; When gifts puffup their hearts, and weaken grace.
CouldSatan seethe issue, and th' event Of his temptations, he would scarcely tempt.
Could faints but fee what fruits their troubles bring, Amidst those troubles they would shout and sing.
O sacred wisdom ! who can but admire To fee how thou dost save from fire, by fire !
No doubt but faints in glorywond'ring stand At those strange methods few now understand.