Front matter (continued, part 2)
honour to be active for God.
2. You have this benefit by your labour, that thereby you a loose and evil company, which would draw you into mischief, diligence for God, the Christian also is secured from teraptat
*' God is with them while they are with him," 2 Chron. xa Communion with God in the way of duty is a great preserve against temptations. The schoolmen put the question, howthea/i and glorified saints become impeccant ? And resolve it thus : 1 they are secured from sin by the beatifical vision ; and sure I am the visions of God, not only in glory, but now also in duty, are i vellous defences against sin ; and they who are most active for (
have the fullest and clearest visions of God, John xiv. 21.
3. You have this benefit by your labour, that it tends much t( health of our bodies. The Christian hath this benefit by hi; hour, that it tends to a healthful state of soul ; " The way of
** I^rd is strength to the upright," Prov. x. 29. As those that fo their daily labours in the field, have much more health than citi that live idly, or scholars that live a sedentary life : So the a<
Christian enjoys more spiritual health, and is troubled with fi complaints than others.
4. By diligence in your civil employments, you preserve vou tates, and are kept from running behind-hand in the world,
liffs trouble not such mens doors ; they usally have the forefoc their neighbours. And by activity and diligence for God, soul<
kept from backsliding, and'running'back in their graces and comf Remissness and intermission in our duties are the first steps anc grees by which a soul declines and wastes as to his spiritual est£
5. Your pains and diligence in the fields, make your bed swe( you at night, Eccles. v. 12, " Rest is sweet to a labouring man, ^
*' ther he eat litde or much." But the diligent hfe of a Chrimakes the clods of the valley, his grave, sweet unto him, 2 Cor. i 2 Kings XX. 3. •• Remembeinow, O Lord, how I have walked bt
■34 inisnANDiif sriRituALizED ; on,
Christians ? They can get in an hour that which they with for all the gold and silver on earth, Prov. iii, 14,
So that compare these labourers, as to all their adva you shall see, that there is no trade like that which
Christian drives.
REFLECTIONS.
1. Blush then, O my soul, at the consideration of
Reflections of the ^nd sloth, which is attended with
slothful sold ritual wants! And can I wonder •^ reiusetnepamrul way of duty, mv cious fruits of godliness are only to be found ? If the fr the surface of duty, or could be had with wishes, I sho them ; but to dig deep and take pains I cannot. My those of the slothful man, kill me, because my hands refu Prov. xxi, 25. If every duty were to be rewarded pn gold, would I not have been more assiduous in them, been ? And yet I know that a heart full of the grace of the Holy Ghost, is better than a house full of gold an what a composition of stupidity and sloth am I ! I havi the short cut to comfort, when constant experience te; the further way about, by painful duty, is the nearei What pains do husbandmen take ? What peril do scat a little gain ; O sluggish heart .' wilt tiiou do nothing treasures .''
Secondly, If there be such great reward attending duty, then why art thou so apt, O my soul, to cast off d thou findest not present comfort in it ^ How quickly a
raged, if I presently find not Avhat I expect in duty .? ^ well is deep, and much pains must be taken to draw up of joy, Isa. xii. 3. There is a golden vein in the mount it lies deep ; and because I meet not with it as soon as 1 lazy heart throws by the shovel, and cries. Dig I cann(
Thirdly^ If this be indeed the rich and thriving trad rpj T 7. , puddle about the poor, low things (
jj . ^ so much, neglecting the righ trade reflections. ^^^ -^ p ^ j^^^^ ^^^j^ ^^ ^^ ^j^^^ ^ have these things devoured .'' Had I employed that tim nion with God, would it not have turned to a bett Thinkest thou in earnest, O my soul, that God hath er with such excellent faculties, capable of the most Divine Iv emnlovments. or that Jesus Christ hath shed hisinvf
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EAETHLY THTXGS.
greatest strength, and choicest hours ? O that I could oiice sider, Avliat a good Master Christians serve, whho vrAl not abundantly reward them at night, but brings them their food the fields to encourage them in their labour ! What pity is it, so good a Master should be so badly served as he hatli been by Hark how he pleads to gain my heart :
THE POEM,
By way of Dialogue betwixt Christ and the World.
Christ.
v^ Why so free of sweat and time, For what ere long will not be thine?
Or if it might, thou sell'st to loss, A precious soul for lasting dross. Those weary hands, and toiling brains,
Might be employed for better gains. Wouldst tliou but work as hard for me* As for the world which cozens thee ; Thy gains should be a thousand fold :
For ray revenue's more than gold. World.
Soul, I have always found thee willing, Rather by me to earn a shilling, Than trust uncertain things which lie Beyond thee in eternity.
Shall things unseen now tempt thee .'' Tush, A bird in hand's worth two i' th' bush.
I pay thee wages down in hand. This thou canst feel, taste, understand, O let not such a vain pretence Prevail against thy very sense. Christ.
Thus beasts are led, thus birds are snar'd,
Thus souls for ruin are prepar'd. What ! trust no farther than you see, ^ ou'U trust a thief as far as me. Deluded wretch ! Will nought but sight And sense convince thee ? O how right. How just is God ? whose direful scourge Such arguments in hell shall ur»e.
»^^._«v-._»,,^
HUSBANDEY SPIRITUALIZED ; OR^
Come see, the saints, for all their brags, How well they thrive, they're cloth'd in rags, Christ.
If my dear saints in rags do go,
'Tis not religion clothes them so ; But by such wants the Lord secures Their souls against the killing snares : They all are heirs, tho' under age, Expectants of their heritage : Kept short for present, yet contemn A change with those that scoff at them. World.
It is vain to pleadj for I
With present things charm pow'rfuUy ; Whatever thou offer'st, they'll despise,
I hold them pris'ners by their eyes. Christ.
If they M'ill serve no other Lord, Then let it stand upon record.
Against their souls, that they refus'd
My wages, and my grace abus'd. Remember this when they shall see All turn'd to ashes that's in thee.
ANOTHER,
-L^ ONE will deny but those are blessed pains Which are attended with the richest gains.
Grant this, and then most clearly 'tis inferr'd, Soul-work to all deserves to be preferr'd. This is an unknown trade : O who can count To what the gains of godliness amount ? For one poor shilhng, O what risks some run ?
Some toiling as i' th' fire, from sun to sun. Whereas one hour spent with God brings in
Such heavenly treasures, that poor souls have bee
Enrich'd for ever. Even as you see A prince's favourite, upon the knee. Can in an hour's time more wealth obtain, Than all your lives by labour you can gain.
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS.
The diflTrence 'twixt the one, and th' other's best By such a simile as this, exprest : As in a summer's day you often see The wanton butterfly, and painful bee ; On fra*]^ant flowers fix, whence one doth strive To bear his precious burden to the hive ; The other's pains no profit with it brings. His time is spent in painting of his wings. AVhen winter comes, the bee hath full supplies,
The oilier creeps into an hole, and dies. Like different events shall be betwixt The painful saint, and lazy notionist.
CHAP. III.
Upon the cheerfulness of the Husbandman.
The phxcman sings, and zchistles, though he S-Lccat, Shall Christians drooj), because their zcork is great ;
OBSEKVATIOX.
JL HOUGH the labours of the husbandman are Tery great toilsome, yet with what cheerfulness do they go through th It is very delightful to hear the melody they make, by whistlin; they follow the plow ; yea, the very horses have their bells, w make a pleasant noise. Horses (saith Mr. Fuller) tvill do r for a ichistle than a uhip ; and their bells do, as it were, guigle a
their weariness. I have been often delighted with this cou music, whereby they sweeten their hard labours with an inno pleasure, and verify the saying of the poet :
Tempus in agrorum cultu consinnere dulce est. Ovid.
Altho' diey plow from morning until night. Time steals away with pleasure and delight,
ArPLlCATIOX.
UT how much greater cause have the people of God to adc themselves unto his work with all cheerfulness of spirit.' 1 indeed, so far as the heart is spiritual, it delights in its duties. true, the work of a Christian is painful, and much more spen(
■BdSSSBSSBsSSaL
98 HUSBANDRY SPIIIITUALIZED ; OR,
them, Psal. cxix. 14. " I have rejoiced in the Avay of tin
*' as much as in all riches." And by the promises thai such, Psal. cxxxviii. 5. " Yea, they sing in the ways *' for great is the glory of the Lord." And again, " Y< *' a song as in the night, when an holy solemnity is ke] *' ness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe, to " mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Isra(
And, lastly, by the many commands, whereby joy i the Lord is made the duty of the saints. " Rejoice in
righteous, for praise is comely for the upright," Ps Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice," Pliil. iv. 4. whi mand is doubled, yea, not only simple rejoicing, but th gree of that duty comes within the command. Psal. c:
*' Shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart." And ' 23. they are bid to leap Jbr Joy, when about the diffici their Avork. And that you may see there is a sufficien it, and that it is not like the mad mirth of sinners, I consider,
1*^, The nature of the work about which they are ei is the most excellent and heavenly employment that ev acquainted with. O what a ravishing and delightful 1 walk with God ! And yet by this, the whole work of i expressed. Gen. xvii. 1. Can any life compare with t] sure ? Can thev be chill that walk in the sun-shine .'' abide in the fountain of all delights ; and walk with him
is the God of all comfort, 2 Cor. i. 3. " In whose pi
*' fulness of joy," Psal. xvi. 11. 0 what an angelica Christian then live ?
Or, 9d^, If we consider the variety of spiritual e Varietas dclectat. Change of employment takes off th( of labour. Variety of voices pleases the ear, variety o lights the eye, the same meat prepared several ways, pi late more, and clogs it less. But oh the variety of choice ( with God entertains his people in a Sabbath ! as the w sacraments, &c. Isa. Iviii. 13. If thou call the Sabbath
or, as Tremellius renders it, thy delicate things. " M David) shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness," ]
3rf/7/, or lastly. If we consider the suitableness of this generate soul. Is it any pain for a bird to fly ? Or a fi
Is the eye tired with beautiful objects .'' Or the ear wit ]_:i 4_ i:^i.l_ „.••*..„! 1 l-_ • ,1 '.^V. .
THE HEANTENLY ITSE OF EARTHLY THINGS.
loveliness of Jesus Christ. The sight of your thriving flocks flourishing fields, cannot yield you that pleasure which an up
soul can find in one quarter of an hour's communion with *' They that are after the flesh, (saith the apostle, Rom. viii. ^ '• mind the things of the flesh, and they that are after the Spiri " thino-s of the Spirit'' But then look how much heavenly ol transcend earthlv ones, and how much the soul is more capable -
lio-ht in those objects, than the gross and duller senses are in tl so much doth the pleasure arising from duty excel ail sensiti\ liffhts on earth.
REFLECTIONS.
How am I cast and condemned by this, may I say, who nev voured this spmtual delight in holy duties ! y,^^ carnal k AVhen I am about my earthly emploATnents, I -.^^^j^„
can go on unweariedl v from day to day ; all the -^
wav is do\\Ti-hiil to my nature, and the wheels of my affections oiled with carnal delight, run so fast, that they have need most of trigging. Here I rather need the curb than the spur. C fleet and nimble are my spirits in these their pursuits ! but O w
slug am I in religious duties ! sure if my heart were renew( srrac^, I should deiisfht in the law of God. Rom. vii. 22. A world is alive in their ways, every creature enjoys his proper plea and is there no delight to be found in the paths of holiness ? Is i uess only a dry root that bears no pleasant fruits ? Xo, thei doubtless incomparable pleasures to be found therein ; but s cai'nal heart as mine savours them not.
I cannot sav but I have found delight in reli^ous duties, but have been onlv such as rather sprang from the os- ^pj j
tentation of gifts and applauses of men than any „ . »^" sweet and real communion I have had with God '^ through them ; they liave ratlier proved food and fuel to my ] than food to my soul. Like the nightingale, I can sing sw(
when I observe others to listen to me, and be afiected with my n O false, deceitful heart, such delight as this will end in howling ! my spirit right, it would as much delight in retirements for tl joyment of God, as it dotli in those duties that are most expoj
the observation of man. Will such a spring as this raaint stream of aifections when carnal motives fail ? What wilt tho
swer, 0 my soul ! to that question ? Job xxvii. 9, 10. '• Will " hear his en,- when trouble comes uix»n him .'' Will he delight
'»-«a«nw»-'
40 HL'SBA^^DKY Sl'IllITUALIZED ; Oil,
The upright hearts , ^'^^^ ^^^ "^^^ ^¥ ''f'^'f ^^^^ 1 reilectlxm ^^^ ^^ ^°^^ "P !^^ delight in Gc
*^ ' it expostulateth with itself : Dothl sing amidst his drudging labours, and whistle away his the fields; and shall I droop amidst such heavenly em p] my soul, what wantest thou here, to provoke thy Jeligl be such an affection as delight in thee, nietliinks such the blessed face of God in ordinances should excite it.
would this ennoble all my services, and make them angc glad are those blessed creatures to be employed for God were they created, but they sang together, and shouted xxxviii. 7. HowJ^d they fill the air with heavenly mc sent to bring the joyful tidings of a Saviour to the world glory to God in the highest, even to the highest of t] Yea, this delight Avould make all my duties Christ-like; ar that pattern, the more excellent : he delighted to do 1 will, it was to him meat and drink, Psalm xl. 7. John i
Yea, it would not only ennoble, but facilitate all my be to me as wings to a bird in flying, or sails to a ship in m
iardat iincta rota ; oiled wheels run freely : " Or ever
*' my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib."" C reason (my God) my delight in thee should be so little ? cause my unbelief is so great ? Rouse up my delights, ( tain of pleasure ! and let me swim down the stream of duty, into the boundless ocean of those immense delighti thy presence, and at thy right hand for evermore.
V/ What a dull, desponding heart is mine ! That takes no more delight in things divine. When all the creatures, both in heav'n and earth, Enjoy their pleasures, and are big with mirth. Angels and saints that are before the throne, In ecstasies and raptures every one
Perpetually is held ; each blessed spii'it The purest, highest joys doth there inherit : The saints on earth, in their imperfect state. Those peerless joys, by faith do antedate. To natural men, who savour not this pleasure. Yet bounteous nature doth unlock her treasure
THE HEAVE^'LT USE OF EARTHLY THTS'GS.
Yea, birds and beasts, as well as men, enjoy Their innocent delights : these chirp and play ; The cheerful birds among the branches sing.
And make the neighboring groves with music ring : With various warbling notes they all in\ate Our ravish'd ears with pleasure and delight The new-falPn lambs, will in a sun-shine day. About their feeding dams jump up and play. Are cisterns sweet ? and is the fountain bitter ?
Or can the sun be dark when glow-worms glitter ? Have instruments their sweet, melodious airs ? All creatures their delights ; and saints not theirs ? Yea, theirs transcend these sensual ones as far As noon-day Phoebus doth a twinkling star. Why droop I then, may any creature have A life hke mine for pleasure ? Who Ver gave The like encouragement that Christ hath given. To do his will on earth, as 'tis in heaven ?
CHAP. IV.
Upon the due Quality of Arable Land.
Corn land must neither be too^fat, nor poor ;
The middle state suits best with Christians, sure.
OBSEEVATION,
Husbandmen find, by experience, that theuarable h may be dressed too much, as well as too little ; if the soil be o rank, the seed shoots up so much into the stalk, that it seldom well ; and if too thin and poor, it wants its due nutriment, and cc not to perfection. Therefore their care is, to keep it in heart, not to over-dress, or under-dress it. The end of all their cost
pains about it is fruit ; and therefore reason tells them, that such a j and temperament of it, as best fits it for fruit, is best both for it them.
ArPLICATION.
ND doth not sniritual exi^ripncp. teach Christians that a
iSS^Bm
^ HUSBANDEY SPIJIITUALIZED ; OE,
dition, as a suit is to the body that sits close and neat, short, nor too long ; we cannot desire a better condition i
This was it that wise Agur requested of God, Prov,
*' Give me neither poverty nor riches, but feed me with *' nient for me, lest I be full and deny thee, and say *' Lord ? Or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name
*' in vain." Against both he prays equally, not absolute been his sin ; but, comparatively, and submissively to th< He had rather, if God see it fit to avoid both of thes but what would he have then ? Why, food convenient. ing to the Hebrew, give me my prey or statute-bread metaphor from birds which fly up and down to prey for and what they get they distribute among them ; the](
enough to preserve their lives, but not more than enoug! dering in the nest. Such a proportion Agur desired, a; why he desired it is drawn from the danger of both ex measured like a wise Christian, the convenience or inc( his estate in the world, by its suitableness or unsuitablen of his being, which is the service of his God. He a true excellence of his life to consist in its refei'ence anc the glory of his God ; and he could not see how a redun great a. penury of earthly comforts could fit him for that die estate, equally removed from both extremes, best fi And this was all that good Jacob, who was led by the looked at. Gen. xxviii. 20. " And Jacob vowed a
*' if God will be with me, and keep me in the way t " give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that
" to my father's house in jjeace, then shall the Lord Poor Jacob, he desires no great matters in the world, raent will satisfy him ; in spiritual matters his desires i he is the most greedy and unsatisfied man in the work but in the matters of this life, if he can get from God
iiquarn^ a morsel of meat and a mouthful of water, he
the richest Croesus, or Crassus upon earth. C'lhus divitce Chnstianorum ; meat and drink are the riches Diviiice sunt ad legem naturce composita paupeiias, sai Atticus ; riches are such a poverty, or mediocrity, as
for nature's uses ; and such a state is best accommodat condition, and to the desires of a saint.
1. To his condition, for what is a saint but a Strang upon earth, a man in a strange country travelling hi
THE HEAVENLY DSE OF EARTHLY THIXCS.
2, It suits best with his desires, I mean his regular and adv desires. For.
1. A gracious soul earnestly desires a free condition in the wo; he is sensible he hath much work to do, a race to run, and is
to be clogged, or have his foot in the snare of the cares or pleas of this life. He knows that fulness exposes to wantonness and ir
gion, Deut. vi. 12. Hos. xiii. 6. It is hard, in the midst of so n tempting objects, to keep the golden bridle of moderation upon affections. The heart of a Christian, like the moon, commi suffers an eclipse when it is at the full, and that by the interposi of the earth.
It was Solomon's fulness that drew out and dissolved his sp: and brought him to such a low ebb in spirituals, that it reraai question with some. Whether he ever recovered it to his dying As it is the misery of the poor to be neglected of men, so it i.' miserv of the rich to neglect God. Who can be poorer than to the world and love it ? Or richer, than to enjoy but little of it, live above it ?
And on the other side, extreme poverty is no less exposed t and danger. Lev. vi. 2, 3, 4. As high and lofty trees are su to storms and tempests, so the lower shrubs to be browsed on by t
beast; and therefore a saint desires a just competency as the^
because ihe^frecst state.
2. A gracious person desires no more but a coinpetencv, be(
there is most of God's love and care discovered in giving in our i bread, by a daily pro^'idence. It is betwixt such a condition, j fulness of creature-provisions in our land, as it was betwixt E and Canaan ; Egypt was watered with the flood from the river ^ and little of God was seen in that mercy ; but Canaan depended
the dews and showers of heaven .^^ and so every shower of rain ^ refreshing shower to their souls, as well as bodies. Most men have a stock of creature-comforts in their hands, look upon coming in an ordinary, natural course, and see very little of G
their mercies. Pope Adrian built a college at Louvain, and ct this inscription to be written in letters of gold on the gates the
Trajectumplantavlt, Louvanium rigavit, dcsar dcd'it wcremcn (i. e.) Utrecht planted me, Louvain watered me, and Caesar the increase. One to reprove his folly wrote underneath, Hie nihil fecit ; here God did nothing. Carnal men sow, and reaj eat, and look no further.
But now, when a man sees his mercies come in by the speciz
44 HUj^BAXDiiY spiritualized; on,
in which he receives it, because it comes (lie it never so (
tie) as a covenant mercy to him. " He hath given bre *' that fear him, he is ever mindful of his covenant," Luther, wlio made many a meal upon a broiled hen-ing, say, Mcndicato pane hie vivanms, annon hoe pulchre sa quod paseimur pane eum angelis et vita ccterna, Christo t tie : Let us be content with coarse fare here, have we nc
that came down irora heaven ? Do we not feed with ange nant instance of the sweetness of such mercies is given us
divine of our own, Mr. Isaac Ambrose, ' * For my ow ' he) however the Lord hath seen cause to give me bul * tance of outward things, for which I bless his nalne, * income thereof, I have many times observed so much oi
* providence, that thereby they have been very much sw( * my heart hath been raised to admire his grace. When < * an hard dispensation (which I judge not meet to ment * I suffered with inward peace conscientiously) all strean
* supplies being stopt, the waters of relief for myself anc * run low. I went to bed with some staggerings and d
* the fountain's letting out itself for our refreshing ; b' * awake in the morning, a letter was brought to my bed * was signed by a choice friend, JMr. Anthony Ash, whi
* some unexpected breakings out of God's goodness for : * These are some of his lines, Your God, who hatl * an heart thankfully to record your experiences of his go(
* renew experiences for your encouragement. Now I * one which will raise your spirit towards the God of your AVhereupon lie sweetly concludes, ' One morsel of God' * (especially if it come unexpected, and upon prayer, wlu " most) will be more sweet to a spiritvial relish, than all * enjoyments were. Many mercies come unasked for, and they require tl but when mercies come in upon prayer, and as a returr
their sweetness more than doubles ; for now it is both
sing upon his own institution, and a seal set to his prom
Psal. Ixvi. 16, 17. Doubtless Hannah found more coi Samuel, and Leah in her Naphtali, the one being ask and the other wrestled for with God, (as their names ii mothers ordinarily do in their children.
REFLECTIOXS.
The heavenly use of earthly things.
God's people have subjected all their creature-enjoyments torellj so appositely, O my soul, thou hast subected religion to thy wo interest and designs. Instead of eating and drinking to serve Gi have served God that I might eat and drink; yea, I have not acted below religion, but below reason also ; for reason dictates p ly, that the means must never be more excellent than the Wretch that I am, to make religion a slave to ray lust, a stirri advancement, an artifice to carry on my carnal designs ; veri have my reward ; and this is all the gooil I am ever like to get I
And no less should the worldling tremble, to consider how he cast off the duties of religion, made them stand rpj ,.. ijj
aside, and give place to the world. Instead of den A"" siring so much only as might make him serviceable ^ to God, he thrusts aside the service of God to get as much oi world as he can, who is so far from making godhness the end c creature-comforts, that he rather looks upon it as an obstacle hindrance to them. May not the very heathens make me bli Could Aristotle deliver this as a true rule to posterity, to mak
Jigion our first, and chief care.'' Could Aristippus say. He wouh ther neglect his means than his mind ! his farm than his soul .'' the very jVIahometans, how urgent soever their business be, lay aside five times in the day to pray ? Yea, it is common to a pro among the very Papists, that mass and meat hinder no man ; yet I, that profess myself a Christian, thrust out duty for every ti O wretched soul ! how hath the god of this world blinded i eyes ? Can the world indeed do that for me that Christ can Hath it ever proved true to them that trusted it, and doated or Hath it not at last turned them off, as men turn offasumpter-h at night, that hath been a drudgfe to carry their cjold and silvei them all day, and at last is turned out with an empty belly, ai galled back ? O how righteous will that sentence of God be ! Gg to the gods whom thou hast served.
And may not many gracious hearts turn in upon themselves i shame andsorrow,toconsiderhowunsatisfied they rpj
have been in that condition, that others have pre- -^^^^^SJ^^^^u^ ^
ferred and esteemed as tlie greatest of alioutward ^'C"*'^"^"- mercies ? I have indeed been fed with food convenient, but not <
tented .- how hath mine heait been tortured from day to day i anxious tiioughts, what I shall eat and drink, and wherewith I mine shall be clothed ? I pretend indeed that I care but for a con tency of the world, but sure I am, mv cares about it have been
liCi^j^jCJCXZJCr
4G HUSBAlIDllY SPIRITUALIZED ; OK,
satioii a home-dweller. Erasmus said he desired hone no more than a weary horse doth a heavy cloak-back, not account him a fool that would victual his ship as the channel to France, as if she were bound for the Alas ! it will be but a little while, and then there w need of any of these things. It is sad, that a soul whic door of eternity, should be perplexing itself about fooi
Quest. 2. Which of all the saints hast thou known t
for much of the world ? It hath been some men's utter doth God suffer men to be their own carvers, but tliey fingers. ' To give riches and pleasure to an evil man (s
' is but to give wine to one that hath a fever.' Wlii want, there is usually much •wantonness. What a sad i PiusQuintus. When I was in a low condition, said 1 comfortable hopes of my salvation ; but when I came nal, I greatly doubted of it : But Since I came to th have no hope at all. Though this poor, undone wr out, and others keep it in ; yet, doubtless, he hath m fellows in the world that might say as much, would 1 the truth.
And even God's own people, though the world hatl them out of heaven, yet it hath sorely clogged them i ther. Many that have been very humble, holy, and low condition, have suffered a sad ebb in a full condit cold blast Iiave they felt coming from the cares and c life, to chill both their graces, and comforts ! It had
some of God's people, if they had never known wl meant.
Qitest. 3. Is not this a sad s}-mptom of a declining s be so hot, eager, and anxious about the superfluous trif Thinkest thou, O my soul .'* that one who walks in th gloiy above, and maintains a conversation in heaven taken with these vanities.? Do not the %asions of God vei splendour of the creature ! It was the opinion of some men, that the reason why Adam in paradise was not nakedness, was because he was wholly taken up in cc
God. But, this is certain, lively and sweet communi( blunts and dulls the edge of the affections to earthlj canst thou be satisfied, my soul, with such gains as with such spiritual losses ?
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS.
unbecoming a thing is it in me to live and act as I have done ! me henceforth learn to measure and estimate my condition, rath its usefulness to God, than its content and ease to my flesh.
J. F fruit and service be indeed the end To which my being and redemption tend,
Reason concludes that state of all the rest, Which is most serviceable, to be best. And such a state experience shews to lie
'Twixt fulness and a pinching poverty. This golden viean is worth a golden mine ; He that hath this should be asham'd to whine. The full-fed Christian, like the ox T th' stall, Is no way fit to work, or plow withal. And penury, like Pharaoh's leaner kine, Devours the fattest portions of our time.
That man with whom this earthly pleasure's found, Or in whose heart those anxious cares abound ; And yet can walk by scripture-rule, and line. Will need a better head and heart than mine ; A single staff tlie traveller may find. Of use and service ; but if you should bind
A bundle of them to his back, they'll make Him slack his pace and crv, my shoulders ach.
I am a traveller, tliis world's my wav, -V single staff may be of use to stay
My feeble body, if it do not crack By too hard leaning on it ; but my back Will bear no more : Alas ! I soon shall tire. And more than one I cannot well desire. Lord, to prescribe to thee becomes me not, I rather do submit unto my lot. But yet let condescending grace admit Thy servant's suit this once, and this is it : The staff of bread convenient let me have. And manage it discreetly ; so, 't\nll save Thy feeble servant from the mire and dirt. But more or less than this may do me hurt. Or if thou say, thy servant shall have none.
tti
48 ttUSBANDIlY spiritualized; OR,
CHAP. V.
Upon the Improvement of bad GromK
Spent barren land you can restore, and nour
Decayed Chy-'istians God can cauac tojlourish.
W HERE land is spent out by tillage for want of n careful husbandman hath many ways to recover anc heart again. He lets it lie fallow, to give it rest, and ti itself: carries out to his sand, lime, and compost, tt quicken it again ; and in pasture and meadow groun it, (if possible) Avith a current of Avater, or the float oft! a fall of rain, which is to the earth as a spring of new b sumptive body. He cuts down and kills the weeds tha and causes them to make restitution of what they ha from it, by rotting upon the place where ihey grcAv.
ai'e they to recover it, when it is spent, as an honest pi his patient in a languishing condition ; for he knows 1 be as grateful to him, and fully recj^uite his care and cc
ArPLICATlO:M.
A.^ man's, so God's husbandry is sometimes out of ( yielding too many crops, but too few. The mystical hath some fields, (I mean particular societies and persoi once fragant and fruitful like a field) Avhich God had are noAv decayed and grown barren ; Avhose gleanir Avere more than their vintage noAV ; the things that are ready to die, Rev. iii. 3. It is possible, yea, too comi cious souls to be reduced to a very loAvebb, both of grai forts ; hoAV Ioav I Avill not say. Our British divines grace indeed cannot be totally intermitted, nor finally los may be an omission of the act, though not an omission (
The act may be perverted, though the faith cannot be sn may be shaken in, though not shaken out : Its fruits n its sap lies hid in the root. They demerit the loss of tl but lose it not effectively; the effect of justification may b
but the state of the justified cannot be dissolved*.
THE HEAVEXLY USE OF EAETIILY THINXS.
" who shall separate me from the love of Christ ?"" may, at anr time lie mourning, as at the gates of death, citing, " O wret^ " man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of " lieath r"" One that hath walked in sweet communion with < sunning himself in the light of his countenance, may afterw
" walk in darkness, and see no light,'^ Isa. 1. 10. He that hath anchor within the veil, and rode securely in the peaceful harboi
assurance, mav seem to feel his anchor of ho]5e come home to and go a-drift into the stormy ocean again, crying with the chi
Lam. iii. 18. " My hope is perished from the Lord." His calm clear air mav be overcast and clouded, yea, filled with storms
tempests, Ughtnings and thunders ; his graces, like under-gn flowers in the ^nnter, may all disappear, and hide their beau heads. ,
To God he may say, I am cast out of thy sight. I know canst do much, but wilt thou shew wonders to the dead ?
To the promises he may say, you ai'e sweet things indeed, what have I to do with you ? I could once, indeed, rejoice in
as my portion ; but now I doubt I grasped a shadow, a fancy ins
o^ you.
To saints he may say, turn away from me, labour not to con me, O do not spill vour precious ointment of consolation upon
head ; for what have I to do with comfort .'* To former expcrie,
lie may say in his haste, you are all liars. To the light qf'Go(Ts c ienance he may say, farewell sweet light, I shall behold thee no n To Satan he may say, O mine enemy, thou hast at last prev; against me, thou art stronger than I, and hast overcome. To d and ordinances^ he may sav. Where is the sweetness I once foui you .'' You were once sweeter to me than the honev-comb ; but as tasteless as the white of an egg. O sad relapse I deplorable cha quantum miitatus ab illo?
But will God leave his poor creatures helpless, in such a ca this ? Shall their leaf fall, their branches wither, their joy, life, their hearts depart r. Will he see their graces fainting, hopes grasping, the new creature panting, the things that aie in 1 ready to die, and will he not regard it .'* Yes ; " there is hope
" tree if it be cut down, and the root thereof wax old in the e " yet by the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs 1 *' plant," Job xiv. 8, 9This poor dechned soul, as sad as it si the gates of hell, may rouse up itself at last, and say to Satan, stands triumphing over him, ••' Rejoice not over me, O mine en
iMBi ^un^-^9- ' •■f^XMIfS^
50 irisBANDiiY spiritualised; on,
" not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lore say to the promises, You are the true and faithful saj My unbelief did bely you ; I said in my haste you we eat my words, I am ashamed of my folly. Surely, O yet hope in thine end, thou mayestbe restored, Psal. x mayest yet recover thy verdure, and thy dew be as the < For,
1. Is he not thy father, and a father full of com] bowels ? And can a father stand by his dying-child, s£ fits, hear his melting groans, and pity-begging looks, i him, especially having restoratives by him, that can di
" As a father pities his own children, so will thy Go( " Psal. ciii. 12, 13. " He will spare thee as a fathei " own son that serves him," Mai iii. 17. Hark, hoi yearn ! " I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning bin
" Ephraim my dear son ? Is he not a pleasant child ? "spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still, " have mercy on him," Jer. xxxi. 20.
2. Doth he not know thy life would be altogether ui if he should not restore thee ? What service art thou i
to him, in such a condition ? " Thy days will consum(
" whilst thy heart is smitten and withered like grass,"" 1 Thy months will be months of vanity, they will fly a no good. Job vii. 3. If he will but quicken thee agai mayest call upon his name, Psal. Ixxx. 18. but in a d guishing condition thou art no more fit for any work c a sick man is for manual labours ; and surely he hath i precious and excellent graces of the Spirit within thee they were ])lanted there for fruit and service, and then less, he will revive thee again.
3. Yea, doth thou not think he sees thine inability to
condition long ? He knows " thy spirit would fail bef the soul which he hath made ;" Isa. Ivii. 16. David much in the like condition, Psal. cxliii. 7, 8. " Hear ;
*' O Lord, for my spirit faileth ; hide not thy face fro " be like unto those that go down into the pit :'' q. d. haste, and recover my languishing soul ; otherwise, v hast now a sick child, thou Avilt shortly have a dead ch
And in like manner Job expostulated with him, Jol
11, 12. " My grief is heavier than the sand of the sea, n " swallowed up, for the arrows of the Ahnightv are witi
THE HEAVEXLY USE OF EARTHtY THIXGS.
<• He will not stir up all his wratli, for lie remembers ihon art
»* flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again," ] Jxxvii. 38, 39. He hath ways enough to do it ; if he do biit ui
his blessed face, and make it shine again upon tliee, tliou art sa Psal. Ixxx. 3. The manifestations of his love, will be to thy sou
slwwers to the parched grass ; tliy soul, that now droops, and h;
the wing, shall then revive and leap for joy, Isa. Ixi. 1. a new
shall come upon thy graces, they shall bud again, and blosso ' rose. If he do but send a spring of * auxiliary grace into thy i to actuate the dull habits of inherent grace, the work is done ;
shalt thou return to thy first works, Rev. ii. 4, 5. and sing, as ii days of thy youth.
BEFLECTIOXS.
O this is my very case, saith many a poor Christian ; thus my languishes and droops from day to day. It is good news indeed, God both can and will restore my soul ; but sad that I should into such a state ; how unlike am I to what I once was ! Sureh
the old men wept when they saw how short the second temple c of the glory of the first; so may I sit down and weep bitterl consider how much my first love and first duties excelled the
sent. For,
1. Is mv heart so much in heaven now, as it was wont to Say, O my soul ! Dost thou not remember, when, .
hke the beloved disciple, diou laidst in Jesus'^sbo- ^^ . som, how didst thou sweeten communion with him ? -^ How restless and impatient wast thou in his absense ! divine \ drawments were to thee as the hell of hell ; what a burden wai world to me in those days ! Had it not been for conscience ol duty, I coidd have been willing to let all lie, that communion Christ might suffer no interruption. When I awaked in the ni how was the darkness enlightened by the heavenly glimpses ol countenance of my God upon me.'* How did his company she those hours, and beguile the tediousness of the night ? O my ! speak thy experience ; Is it now as it was then ? No, those dav; past and gone, and thou art become much a stranger to that heav fife. Art thou able with truth to deny this charge? AMien occasioi
I pass by those places, which were once to me as JacoVs Beth hmi ; I sigh at the remembrance of former passages bet^\ixt me heaven there, and say w ith Job, chap. xxix. " O that it were wid
" as in months past, as in the davs when God preserved me, whei
52 ilUSBANDKY SPIRITUALIZED ; dlJ,
" When I remember these things my soul is poured <
2. Is thy obedience to the commands of Christ i
duty, as free and cheerful as they -were wont to be ? my soul, the times when thou wast borne down the st
every duty. If the Spirit did but whisper to thee, sa
/ace, how did my spmt echo to his calls ? saying, " T
" will I seek,"" Psal. xxvii. 8. If God had any wor how readily did I offer my service ? Here am I, Lord soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib ; love o
of my affections, and " his commandments were nc John v. 3. No7i tardat uncta rota. There were no su
with the command, no such excuses and delays as No, such was my love to Christ, and delight to do 1
could no more keep back myself from duty, than
carried away in a crowd.
Or, lastly, tell me, O my soul, dost thou bemoan th; so tenderly for sin, and for grieving the Holy Spirit o
wast wont to do ? When formerly I had fallen by temptation, how was I wont to lie in tears at the I moaning myself? How did I hasten to my closet, ;
like Ezra, chap. ix. 6. " O my God, I am ashamed, an(
" up untothec." How did I sigh and weep before Ephraim, smite upon my thigh, saying, " What havt my soul ! how didst thou work, strive, and cast about thyself again ? Hast thou forgotten how thou woul look up and sigh bitterly ? Ah ! what a God have I pr( love and goodness have I abused ? Sometimes look
Ah ! what motions did I withstand ? what a good Spir-
ed ? Ah ! my soul, thou wouldest have abhorred thysc est never have borne it, had thine heart been as stupid,
less then as now ; if ever a poor soul had reason to dis tears for its sad relapses, I have.
2. But yet mourn not, O my soul, as one withoi J . . member, " There is hope in Israel c
PP * s « thing," As low as thy conditio '^ ' desperate, it is not a disease that sec many a man that hath been stretched out for dead
again, and lived many a comfortable day in the world that hath cast both leaf and fruit, by the skill of a pru man, hath recovered again, and been made both flouris ful. Is it not easier, thinkest thou, to recover a lang
THE nEAVEXLY L'SE OF EAKTHLY THINGS.
" turn to the days of my youth,'' Job xxxiii. 22. Tb<iiigh flourish, and much of my fruit too be gone, and I am a withe tree ; yet as long as the root of the matter is in me, there is r hope of such a poor, decayed, withered tree, tlian of the hypo that wants such a root in all his glory and bravery. His sun : set, and never rise again ; but I live in expectation of a sweet m ing after this dark night.
Rouse up, therefore, O my soul, set thy soul a work on Chris quickening grace, for he hath life in himself, and quickens whoi ever he will, John vii. .38. Stir up that little which rem; Rev. iii. 2. hast thou not seen lively flames proceed from glimi ing and d\Tng sparks, when carefully collected and blown up ? amongst the most lively and quickening Christians ; " as iron sh " ens iron, so will these set an edge upon thy dull affections," F xxvii. 17. Acts xviii. 15. But, above all, cry mightily to the I for quickening ; he will not despise thy cry. The moans of a tressed child work upon the bowels of a tender father. And be to keep within thy view the great things of eternity, which are r« to be revealed ; live in the believing and serious contemplatioi them, and be dead if thou canst It is true, thou hast reason enc from thy condition, to be for ever humbled, but no reason a from thy God to be in the least discouraged.
X HOU art the Husbandman, and I A worthless plot of husbandry, Whom special love did, ne'ertheless. Divide from nature's wilderness. Then did the sun-shine of thy face, And sweet illapses of thy grace, Like April show'rs, and warming gleams. Distil its dews, reflect its beams. My dead affections then were green. And hopeful buds on them were seen ; These into duties soon were turn'd. In which my heart within me bum'd. O halcyon days ! thrice happy state ! Each place was Bethel, heaven's gate. What sweet discourse, what heav nly talk, AVhilst with thee I did daily walk I
.vgi '■ 'f Ajqry^«jwftlt M^*^ sjjR- - — :
§4 HUSBANDllY SPIRITUALIZED ; OKf
My fragrant branches blasted be, No fruits like those that I can see. Some canker-worm lies at my root, Which fades my leaves, destroys my fruit. My soul is banish'd from thy sight, For this it mourneth day and night. Yet why dost thou desponding lie ? With Jonah cast a backward eye. Sure in thy God help may be had, There's precious balm in Gilead. That God that made me spring at first. When I was barren and accurst, Can much more easily restore My soul to what it was before ; *Twas Heman's, Job's, and David's cascy Yet all recovered were by grace. A word, a smile on my poor soul. Will make it perfect, sound, and whole. A glance of thine hath soon dissolv'd A soul in sin and grief involv'd. Lord, if thou canst not work the cure, I am contented to endure.
CHAP. VI.
Upon the incurableness of some bad Grc
No sMU can mend the miry ground ; and s
Some souls the gospel leaves as past a cure.
OBSBRVATION.
ilLLTHOUGH the industry and skill of the liusl make some ground that was useless and bad, good i pasture, and improve that which was barren ; and bi pains make one acre worth ten : yet such is the nature « or miry ground, where the water stands, and there cleanse it, that it can never be made fruitful. The h
THE HEAVEXLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS.
3jLaNY also, there are, under the gospel, who are given <
by God to judicial blindness, hardness of heart, a reprobate se and perpetual barrenness ; so that how excellent soever the nn
are which they enjoy, and how efficacious soever to the con vers edification, and salvation of others ; yet they shall never do t
souls good. Ezek. xlviL 9, H. " Every thing wheresoever the i " comes shall live, but the miry places thereof, and the mar
" thereof shall never be healed, but be given to salt ;'' i. e. g to an obstinate and everlasting barrenness. Compare Deut. ix,
By these waters, saith the judicious Mr. Strong *, understand doctrine of the gospel ; as Rev. xxi. 2. a river of water of life, c
as crystal: Hie Jluvius est iihei'r'ima doctrina Christi, saith Brightman. This river is the most fruitful doctrine of Christ : these waters do not heal the miry, marshy places ; i. e. men that unfruitfullv under ordinances, who are compared to miry, mai places, in three respects :
(1.) In mirv places the water hath not free passage, but st£ and settles there. So ic is with these barren souls ; therefore
apostle prays, that the gospel may run, and be glorified, 2 Thes 1. The word is said to run, when it meets with no stop. Cum li propagatur, when it is freely propagated, and runs through the w
man ; when it meets with no stop, either in the mouth of the spea or hearts of the hearers, as it doth in these.
(2.) In a mirv place the earth and water are mixed together ; mixture makes mire. So when the truths of God do mix with
corruptions of men, that they either hold some truths, and yet in their lusts ; or else when men do make use of the truths of (
to justify and plead for their sins. Or,
(3.) When, as in a miry place, the longer the water stands ii the worse it grows ; so the longer men abide under ordinances, more filthv and polluted they grow. These are the miry places 1 cannot be healed, their disease is incurable, desperate.
O this is a sad case ! and yet very common ; many persons are t
given over as incorrigible, and hopeless ; Rev. xxii. 11. " Let " that is filthy be filthy still.'' Jer. vi. 29. " Reprobate silver s " men call them, for the Lord hath rejected them."" Isa, vi. 10, " Go make the heart of this people fat, their ears duU,"" &c. Christ executes, by the gospel, that curse upon many souls, wl
he denounced against the fig-tree, Mat. xxi. 19. " Let no fruit g
'*— ?-4a«»»^
56 "IWsrfANDRY SPIRITUALIZED ; OH,
a bad heart, (saith one) but it is the deptli of woe U that never shall be made better. To be barren under a sore judgment, but to have thatpertinax sterilitas, ; barrenness ; this is to be twice dead, and plucked up I Jude speaks.
And to shew you the woful and miserable state and men. let the following particulars be weighed.
(1.) It is a stroke at the soul itself, an inward spiriti and by how much the more inward and spi; itual any ju
so much the more dreadful and lamentable. As so
the best mercies, so soul-judo-ments are the saddest of If it were but a temporal stroke upon the body, the los ear, a hand, a foot, though in itself it would be a con yet it were nothing to this. Omnia Deus dedit duplici sostom, speaking of bodily members ; God hath givei members, two eyes, if one be lost, the other supphes : hands, two ears, two feet, that the failing of one may h the help of the other : animam vera znmm, but one
perish, there is no other to supply its loss. " The *' heathen *, is the man ; that which is seen, is not tl apostle calls the body a vile body, Phil. iii. 21. and so i with the soul ; and Daniel calls it the sheath, whicli temptible thing to the sword which is in it. Oh ! it \ that many bodies perish, than one soul ; that every made the seat and subject of the most exquisite tortur judgment should fall upon the soul.
(2.) It is the severest stroke God can inflict upon tl life to give it up to barrenness ; because it cuts off a] trates all means, nothing can be a blessing to him. from the dead, if angels should descend from heavei him, there is no hope of him. If God shut up a man, v
Job xii. 14. As there was rone found in heaven or ea
open the seals of that book. Rev. v. 5. so is there no o hand ot the most able and skilful mmistry, those seal
blindness, and unbelief, thus impressed upon the spirit, so locks up, mercy will never let out. This is that wl the Anathema Maranatha, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. which is tl curse in all the book of God, accursed till the Lord c
(3.) It is the most indiscernable stroke to themselve and by that so much the more desperate. Hence thei noured out imon them the soirit of slumber. Isa. xxi
THE HKAVEXLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS.
stupefactive ingredients, which casts a man into such a deep s!
that do what you will to him, he feels, he knows it not. " ]V " their eyes heavy, and their ears dull ; lest tliey should see, '• hear, and be converted," Isa. vi. 9, 1 0. This is the heart that ca repent which is spoken of, Rom. ii. 5. For men are not sensib all of this judgment, they do not in the least suspect it, and th their misery. Though they be cursed trees, which shall never any fruit to life, yet many times they bear abundance of other and pleasant fruits to the eye, excellent gifts, and rare endowmt and these deceive and undo them. Mat. vii. 22. " We have
'• phesicd in thy name ;" this makes the wound desperate, that t is no finding of it, no probe to search it,
(4.) It is a stroke that cifts off from the soul all the comforts sweetness of reUgion. A man may pray, hear, and confer, bu those duties are dry stalks to him, which yield no meat, no solid stantial nutriment ; some common touches upon the affection may sometimes find in duty, the melting voice or rhetoric of fweaclier may perhaps strike his natural aifections, as another tra; story pathetically delivered may do ; but to have any real con nion \nth God in ordinances, any discoveries or views of the beau
the Lord in them, that he cannot have ; for these are the sp effects and operations of the Spirit, which are always restrainec
God hath said to such, as he did to them. Gen. vi. 3. "
" Spirit shall no longer strive with them ;■" and then what sweet 16 there in ordinances .'' What is the word, separated from the rit, but a dead letter .'' It is the Spirit that quickens, 2 Cor. ii Friend, thou must know that the gospel works not like a nat cause upon those that hear it; if so. the effect would always foj unless miraculously stopt and hindered ; but it works like a v\ instituted cause, whose efficacy and success depend upon the arbit concuiTence of the Spirit with it. " The wind blows where it lis " so is very one that is born of the Spirit," John iii. 8. " Of '* own will begat he us by the word of truth.'' Ordinances ar the pool of Bethesda, which had his healing virtue only wher angel moved the waters ; but the Spirit never moves savingly i the waters of ordinances, for its healing of their souls, how n years soever they He by them ; though others feel a divine pow< them, yet they shall not. As the men that travelled with Paul, v Christ appeared to him from heaven, they saw the light, buth not the voice which he heard to salvation : So it was with these ; hce the ministers, hear the words, which are words of salvatioi
^«^»~--»jR>^^^-S'~~?"'8a«jti»^Bvrgwg>> — ^^»--'W5^-- ~'.
S8 HUSBANDRY SPIUITUALIZED ; OR,
(5.) It is such a stroke upon the spirit of man, as is ; of his eternal reprobation. It is true, we cannot positi man in this Hfe, he is a reprobate, one that God will ne\
cy to ; but yet there are some probable marks of it upi in this world, and they are of a trembling considerati they appear ; of which this is one of the saddest, 2 Co
" our gospel be hid, it is hid to those that are lost, in v *' of this world hath blinded the minds of them that
*' lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is *' God, should shine unto them." So Acts xiii. 48. ' ** were ordained unto eternal life believed. Ye believt
*' ye are not of my sheep,"' John x. 26. And again, M " To you it is given to know the mystd^ies of the kin; " them it is not given."" There cannot be a more dre ter of a person marked out for wrath, than to continvie dinances, as the rocks and miry places do under the ences of heaven. What blessed opportunities had Ju(
lander Christ's own ministry, he often heard the gracio proceeded out of his mouth i he was day and night in
yet never the better ; and why ? Because he was the so7 that is, a man appointed to destruction and wrath.
(6.) And lastly. To add no more. It is such a stroke the souls of men, as immediately fore -runs hell and dan vi. 8. " But which beareth thorns and briers is rej
*' nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burnt." So some saints in this world have had a prelibation or for ven, which the scripture calls the earnest of the Spirit precursor of hell, a sign of wrath at the door. We ma it is said of the pale horse in the Revelation, that hell fc
" a man abide not in me, (saithChrist, John xv. 6.) he i " a branch, and withered ;" which is the very state of cursed souls. And what follows ? Why, saith he, men and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Li vengeance which the gospel executes upon this barrel
llEFLECTIONS.
1. Well then, blessed be God that made me feel the
of the gospel. O, let God be ej The sincere soufs for this mercy ! that how defecti^ reflection. in common ^fts, though I have
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EAnXlILY THINGS.
bat according to the riches of thy mercy. Some little fruit I I; forth, and what it is, is by virtue of my union with Jesus CI Rom. vii. 4. And this hath more in it as to my comfort, than al glittering gifts and splendid performances of the most glorious h
crite can vield to him : if I might haA'e my choice (saith one) I w eh use and prefer the most despicable and sordid work of a r Christian before all the victories of Alexander, and triumphs of Ci
Blessed therefore be tlie Lord, rcho hath abounded unto me h spiritual blesslng^y in heavenly places in Christ Jes^is.
I cannot remember a sermon as another can, but blessed be that I am able to favour it, and feel it ? that I have an heart to
and a vill to obey all that God discovers to be my duty.
2. O, then how little cause have I to make my boast of ordina and glory in my external privileges, who never bear 71; /• . 7
spiritual fruit under them.'' If I well consider my ^ •• .^m condition, there is matter of trembling'^ and not of"' ^ glorying in these things. It may be whde I have been glorvi
them, and lifting up my secure heart upon thein, the Lord been secretly blasting my soul under them, and insensibly execi this horrible curse by tlicm. Shall I boast with Capernaum that lifted up to heaven, since I may with her, at last be cast down to ]
And if so. Lord, what a hell will my hell be ? It vnW be more rable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for me. It drew tears
the eyes of Christ, when he was looking upon Jerusalem, unde same consideration that I doubt I have cause to look upon my
soul, Luke xix. 41. " He wept over it, saying, if thou hadst kn " even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong t " peace, but now they are hid from, thine eyes." So long ha been a hearer, a professor of the gospel, so many years have I e ed its distinguishing ordinances, Tout have they not been all dr^
empty things to me ; hath not the spirit of formality acted e them i Have not self-ends and worldly respects lain at the bottc ray best duties ? Have not my discourses, in communion with < been trade words, speaking what I have learnt, but not felt ? S my condition now, but it would be desperate and irrecove shouldst thou execute this curse upon me.
3. x\nd what may I think of my condition ; Lord, I acknow my unprofitableness under the means hath been /tt/ 7 ^
shameful; and this hath mademv condition doubti!^^. ff*^^
ful. I have often trembled for'fear, lest my root ^/*'y^"*«* had been blasted by such a curse } but if so, whence ^*'^"^"-
60 HnSEAXDllY SPIRITUALIZED ; OK,
* The laws of men spare for the fruit's sake, and wilt th me also, my God, if there be found in me a blessing in 1 Ixv. 8.
4. To conclude, what a serious reflection should this every dispenser of the gospel ? How should he ^,
say when he goes to preach the e;ospel, I am /j ^. " going to preach that word which is to be a "^ savour '"yflif'e or death unto these souls ; upon how man; hearers may the curse of perpetual barrenness be execut
O how should such a thought melt his heart into com] them, and make him beg hard, and plead earnestly wit better issue of the gospel than this upon them.
\ OU that besides your pleasant fruitful fields, Have useless bogs, and rocky ground that yields You no advantage, nor doth quit your cost.
But all your pains and charges on them's lost : Heai*ken to me, I'll teach you how to get More profit by them than if they were set At higher rents than what your tenants pay
For your most fertile lands ; and here's the way. Think when you view them, why the Lord hath ch( These, as the emblem to decipher those That under gospel-grace grow worse and worse ; For means are fruitless when the Lord doth curseSweet showers descend, the sun his beams reflects On both alike, but not with like eiFects. Observe and see how after the sweet showers The grass and corn revive : the fragrant flowers Shoot forth their beauteous heads, the vallies sing. All fresh and green as in the verdant spring. But rocks are barren still, and bogs are so ; Where nought but flags, and worthless rushes grow. Upon these marshy grounds there lies this curse. The more rain falls, by so much more the worse.
Even so the dews of grace that sweetly fall, From gospel-clouds, are not alike to all. The gracious soul doth germinate and bud, But to the reprobate it doth no good.
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY TIHKG>
Shall be to him but as the sun and rain Are to obdurate rocks, fruitless and vain. Be this vour meditation when you walk By rocks and fenny-grounds thus learn to talk With your own souls ; and let it make you fear Lest tliat's vour case that is described here. This is the best improvement you can make Of such bad ground ; good soul I pray thee take Some pains about them ; though they barren be. Thou seest how tliey may yield sweet fruits to thee.
CHAP. VII.
Upon the plowing of Corn-land.
The plowman guides his plow xcith care and skiU; So doth the Spirit in sound conviction still.
OBSEKVATION.
At requires not only strength, but much skill and judgmer manage and guide the plow. The Hebrew word u'i:i whicl translate to plow, signifies to be intent, as an artificer is about ; curious piece of work. The plow must neither go too shallow too deep in the earth ; it must not indent the ground, by ma crooked furrows, nor leap and make baulks in the good ground ;
be'guided as to a just depth of earth, so to cast the furrow in a str; line, that the floor or surface of the field may be made plain, as
Isa. xxxviii. 2-5. And hence that expression, Luke ix. 62. *
" that puts his hand to the plow, and looks back, is not fit fo
*' kingdom of heaven."" The meaning is, that as he that j must have his eves always forward, to guide and direct his har castin^^ the furrows straight and even ; (for his hand will be qu out when his eye is off;) so he that heartilv resolves for he;
must addict himself wholly and intently to tlie business of reli and not have his mind entangled with the things of this world, \ he hath left behind him ; whereby it appears, that the right mai ment of the plow requires as much skill as strenjrth.
^2 HUSBAKOllY SrnilTUALIZED ; OR,
much of the wisdom, as well as power of God, is disco^ work of repentance, and saving contrition is set forth in
this metaphor of plowing *, Jer. iv. 3. Hos. x. 12. " P
" fallow ground ;" that is, be convinced, humbled, i hearted for sin. And the resemblance betwixt both the pears in the following particulars.
(1.) It is a hard and difficult work to plow, it is reel the painfullest manual labours ; it is also a very liard vince and humble the heart of a secure, stout, and j indurate in wickedness. What Luther saith of a dejected
* it is as easy to raise the dead, as to comfort such a one. I may say of the secure, confident sinner ; it is as eas_y rocks, as to work saving contrition upon such a heart pumice aquam ; all the melting language, and earnest
the gospel, cannot urge such a heart to shed a tear: T called a heart of stone, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. a firm rock, A
*' Shall horses run upon the rock ? Will one plow there Yet when the Lord comes in the power of his Spirit, th rend, and yield to the power of the word.
(2.) The plow pierces deep into the bosom of the eart it were, a deep gash or wound in the heart of it. So d rit upon the hearts of sinners, he pierces their very sou tion. Acts ii. 37. " When they heard this they were p
*' pierced point blank) to the heart." " Then the wore " soul and spirit,"" Heb. iv, 12. It comes upon the con such ])iercing dilemmas, and tilts the sword of conviction their souls, that there is no stanching the blood, no wound, till Christ himself come, and undertake the cure.