A careless profession will issue in apostasy open or secret, or great distress, Matt. xiii. 5, 6, Cant. ii. 1,5. Our course is a warfare; and those who take not heed, who are not circumspect in war, will as- suredly be a prey to their enemies. Be their strength never so great, one time or other they will not avoid a fatal surprisal.
And there is a necessity of this heedful attendance in us, from the manifold duties that, in all things and at all times, are incum- bent on us. Our whole life is a life of duty and obedience. God is in every thing to be regarded by us. So that we are to be atten- tive unto our duty on all occasions, Ps. xvi. 8; Gen. xvii. 1. If we fail in matter or manner, what lies in us we spoil the whole; for “bonum oritur ex integris, malum ex quolibet defectu.” Any one defect is enough to denominate an action evil; but unto that which is good there must be a concurrence of all necessary circumstances. See Eph. v. 15, 16. And who is sufficient for these things? God alone by his Spirit and grace can enable us hereunto. But he works these things by us as well asin us, and gives heedful diligence where he gives success.
But it is with especial reference unto difficulties, oppositions, dangers, temptations, that this caution is here given us to be cautious. And who can reckon up the number or dispose into order these things, and that whether we consider those that constantly attend us or those that are occasional? Among oppositions, snares, and dangers, that we are constantly exposed unto, and which without heedfulness we cannot avoid, the apostle here instanceth in one, namely, that of “an evil heart of unbelief,” which must be spoken unto. And he giveth an instance in those that are occasional, Eph. v. 15, 16, “Walk circumspectly,...... because the days are evil.” There is an especial evil in the days wherein we live, which we cannot avoid without great cireumspection. Now this taking heed consisteth,—
[1.] In a due consideration of our danger. He that walks in
@ 102 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP, III.
the midst of snares and serpents, and goes on confidently, without consideration of his danger, asif his paths were all smooth and safe, will one time or other be entangled or bitten. Blind confidence in a course of profession, as if the whole of it were a dangerless road, is a ruining principle, 1 Pet.i. 17; Prov. xxvii. 14; “ A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished,” Prov. xxii. 3. It is the highest folly not to look out after dangers, and which usually ends in sorrow, trouble, and punish- ment. Fear is necessary in continual exercise; not a fear of dis- trust or diffidence, of anxious scrupulosity, but of care, duty, and diligence. Continually to fear dangers in all things, brings a use- less, perplexing scrupulosity, where men’s principle of duty is only a harassed, convinced conscience, and the rule of it is the doctrines and traditions of men. But where the principle of it is the Spirit of grace, with all this fear there is liberty; and where the rule of it is the Word, there is safety, peace, and stability. Men at sea that are in the midst of rocks and shelves, and consider it not, will hardly avoid a shipwreck. Livy tells us that Philopcemen, that wary Grecian commander, wherever he went, though he were alone, he was still considering all places that he passed by, how an enemy might possess them and lay ambushes in them to his disadvantage, if he should command an army in those places. Hereby he became the most wary and expert captain of his age. So should a Chris- tian do: he should always consider how, where, by what means, his spiritual adversaries may ensnare or engage him, and so either avoid them or oppose them; and not be like the simple, pass on heedlessly and be punished, Eph. vi. 11, 12, ete.
[2.] In a due consideration of the especial nature of those snares and dangers that we are exposed unto. It is not enough that in general we know and reckon on it that we are obnoxious unto dangers, but we must learn what are the especial dangers, as things are circumstanced in our lives, callings, ways, times, and seasons, that are apt easily to beset us. To know and continually ponder their nature and advantages, this is wisdom, the greatest wisdom we can exercise in the whole course of our walking and profession, 1 Pet. v. 8, He that takes heed in this will not likely fail in any other instance. But here custom, security, false-pleasing, confidence of our own strength, negligence, and sloth, all put in to delude us, And if we are here imposed on, that we weigh not aright the nature and efficacy of our own peculiar snares and temptations, we shall assuredly at one time or another fail and miscarry in the course of our obedience, This was David’s wisdom when “ he kept himself from his own iniquity,” Ps, xviii. 23, God would have us cast all our care about earthly things on him, but be watchful ourselves, through his grace, about spiritual. But we are apt to fail on both hands,