Upon the improvement of bad ground,
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
My feeblebody, if it do not crack By too hard leaning on it; but my back Will bear no more: Alas ! I soon shall tire,
Andmorethan 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 staffofbread convenient let me have, And manage it discreetly ; so, 'twill fave
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, Then strengthen faith, that I may go alone.
CHAP.
Upon the Improvement of bad Ground.
Spent barren land you can reflore, and nourish :
Decayed Christians God can cause to flourish.
OBSERVATIΟΝ.
Here land is spent outbytillage, or forwantofmanuring, the careful husbandman hath many ways to recover,and bring it in heart again. He lets it lie fallow, to give it reft, and time to recover itself: carries out his sand, lime, and compost, to refresh and quicken it again ; and in pasture and meadow ground, willwath it(if possible) with a current of water, or the float of the ways after a fall of rain, which is to the earth as a spring of new blood toaconfumptivebody. He cuts down, and kills the weeds that fuck it out, and causes them to make restitution of what they have purloined from it by rotting upon the place where they grew.
As careful are they to recover it, when it is spent, as anhonestphyfician is of his patient in a languishing condition; for he knows his field will be as grateful to him, and fully requitehis care and cost.
APPLICATION.
AS man's, so God'shusbandry is sometimes out of case, not by yielding too many crops,but too few.
The mysticalhusbandman hath some fields,(I mean particular societies and persons, who were once fragrant, and fruitful, like a field) which God had blessed, but are now decayed, and grown barren; whosegleanings formerly were more than their vintage now; the things that are in them are ready to die, Rev. iii. 3.
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, It is possible,yea, too common for gracious souls to be reduced to a very low ebb, both of graces and comforts ; how low I will not say: Our British divines tell us, that grace indeed cannot be totally intermitted, nor finally loft ; but there may bean omission of the act, though not anomiffion of the habit:
The act may be perverted,thought he faith cannot be subverted; it maybe shaken in,though not shaken out : Its fruitsmayfall,but its sap lies
Howfartruegrace ina believer may fail. hid in the root. They demerit the loss of the kingdom, but lose it not effectively; the effectofjustificationmaybe suspended, but the stateofthejuftifiedcannot be dissolved.*.
Certain it is, one that, likePaul,hath been wrapped up with joy, even to the third heavens, and cried, "I am more than a "conqueror, who shall separate me from the love of Christ ?" may at another time lymourning, as at the gates of death, crying, " O wretchedman that I am, who shall deliver me from " the body of this death ?" One that hath walked in sweet communiónwithGod,sunning himself in the light of his countenance, may afterwards "walk in darkness,and fee no light,"
Ifa. 1. 10. He that hath cast anchor within the veil, and rode securely in the peaceful harbour ofaffsurance,may seem to feel his anchor of hope come home to him, and go a-drift into the stormy ocean again, crying with the church, Lam. iii. 18.
" My hope is perished from the Lord."
His calm and clear air may be over-cast and clouded, yea, filled with storms and tempefts, lightnings and thunders ; his graces, like underground flowers in the winter, may all disappear, and hide their
Beautiful heads .
To God he may say, I am cast out of thy fight.
I know thou canst do much, but wilt thou shew wonders to the dead?
To the promises he may say, you are sweet things indeed, but what have I to do with you ? I could once, indeed, rejoice in you, as my portion; but now I doubt I grasped a shadow, a : fancy, instead of you.
To faints he may say, turn away from me, labour not to comfort me, Odo not spillyourprecious ointment of consolation uponmyhead; for what have Ito do with comfort ? To former experiences, he may say in his haste, you are all liars. To *Gratianec totaliter intermittitur nec finaliter amittitur. Act us omittitur, habit us non amittitur.
Actio pervertitur, fides non Subvertitur.
Concutitor, non excutitor. Defluitfructus, latetfuc cus. Jus ad regnum amittunt demeritorie, non effective.
Effectusjustificationissuspenditur, at status justificati non diffolvitur.
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
thelightofGod'scountenance, he may say, farewel sweet light, I shall behold thee no more. To Satan he may say, O mine enemy,thou hast at last prevailed against me, thou art stronger than I, andhaft overcome. To duties and ordinances he may fay,Where is the sweetness I once found in you? You were once sweeter to me than the honey-comb; but now as takelessas the white of an ogg. Ofad relapse! deplored. change! quantummutatus ab illo?
But will God leave his poor creatures helpless, in such a case as this ? Shall their leaf fall, their branches wither, their joy,their life, their heart depart ? Will he see their graces faint, ing, their hopes gasping, the new creature panting, the things thatareinthem ready to die, and will he not regard it ? Yes, yes, "there is hope of a tree if it be cut down, and the root
" thereofwaxold in the earth, yet by the scent of water it will " bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant," Job xiv. 8, 9.
This poor declined foul, as fad as it fits at the gates of hell, mayrouzeup itself at last, and say to Satan, that stands triumphing over him, " Rejoice not over me,,O mine enemy, for " though I fall,yet I shallarife;,though I fit in darkness, the " Lord shall be a light unto me," Micah vii. 8. He may raise up himself upon his bed of languishing for all this, and say to God, " Though thou hast chaftned me fore, yet haft thou not " given me over unto death."
He may turn about to the saints that have mourned for him, and with a lightsome coun tenance say, " I shall not die, but live, and declare the works
" of the Lord." He may say to the promises, You are the trueandfaithful sayings of God. My unbeliefdid:belyyou ;
I said in myhasteyou were liars, but I eat my words, I am ashamed of my folly.
Surely,Ofoul, there is yet hope in thine end, thou mayest be restored, Psal. xxiii. 3. thou mayest yet recoverthyverdure, and thydew be as thedewofherbs.
For, 1. Is he notthyfather, and a father fullofcompassions, and bowels ? And can a father,stand by his dying child, see his fainting fits,hear his melting groans, and pity begging looks, and nothelphim, especially having restoratives by him, that can do it ? Surely, "As a father pities his own children, so " willthyGod pity thee," Psal. ciii. 12, 13. "He will spare
" thee as a Father spareth his own son that serves him," Mark iii. 17. Hark, how his bowels yern ! " I have furelyheard
" Ephraim bemoaninghimself. Is not Ephraim my dear son?
" Is he not a pleasant child ? For finceI spake against him,Ido " earnestly remember him still, I will surely have mercy on " him," Jer, xxxi. 20.
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, f 2. Doth he not know thy lifewouldbe altogether useless to him, if he should not restore thee ? What service art thou fit to perform to him, in fucha condition ? " Thy days will con- " sume like smoke, whilst thy heart is smitten and withered
" like grass," Psal. cii. 3, 4.
Thy months will be inonths of vanity, they will fly away, and fee no good, Job vii. 3. If he will but quicken thee again,then thou mayeft call upon his name, Psal. lxxx. 18. but in a dead, and languishing condition, thou art no more fit for any work of God, than a sick man is for manual labours; andfurelyhehath notputthose precious and excellent graces of his spirit within thee for nothing; they were planted there for fruit and service, and therefore, doubtless, he will revive thee again.
3. Yea, dost thou not think he sees thine inability to bear such a condition long? He knows thy spirit would fail be- " fore him, and the soul which he hath made;" Isa. lvii. 16.
David told him as much, in the like condition, Psalm cxliii.
7, 8. " Hear me speedily,OLord, for my spirit faileth ; hide " not thy face from me, lestlbe like unto those that go down
" into the pit :" q. d. Lord, makehafte, and recover my languishing foul; otherwise, whereas thou hast now afick child, thou wilt shortly have adeadchild.
* And in likemenner Job expoftulatedwith him, Job vi. 1, 23, 11, 12. " My grief is heavier than the sand of the sea, my
"words are swallowed up, for the arrows of the almighty are " within me; and the poison thereof drinks up my spirits:
" The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
" What is my strength that Ishouldhope? Is my strength the " strength of stones ? or are my bones of brass ?" So chap. vii. 12. "Am I a sea, or a whale ?" &c. Other troubles a man may, but this he cannot bear, Prov. xviii. 14. and therefore, doubtless, seasonable and gracious revivings will come, " He
"will not stir up all his wrath, for here members thou art but " flesh, awindthatpasseth away, and cometh not again,"Psal.
Ixxviii. 38 , 39. He hath ways enough to do it ; ifhedobutunveil his blessed face, and make it shine again upon thee, thou art saved, Psal. Ixxx. 3. The manifestations of his love, will be to thy foul, as showers to the parched grass; thy soul,that now droops, and hangs the wing, shall then revive, and leap for joy, Ifa. Ixi. 1. anew face shall come upon thy graces, they shallbudagain, and blossom as a rose.
If he do but fend a spring of* auxiliary grace into thy soul, to actuate the dull * Grace needs more grace to put in exercise,
The Heavenly Use of Earthly Things.
habits of inherent grace, the work is done ; thenshaltthoureturn to thy first works again, Rev. ii.4,5.and sing, as in the days ofthyyouth.REFLECTIONS .
O this is my very case,faith many a poor Christian ; thus my soul languishes and droops from day to day. It is good news, indeed, that God both can, and will restore my soul ; butfadthatI should fall into such a state; how unlike am I to what I once was! Surely, as the old menwept,when they saw how short the second temple came of the glory of the first ; fo may I fit down and weep bitterly, to confider how much my first love, and first duties, excelled the present.
For, 1. Is myheartsomuch in heaven now, as itwaswonttobe ? Say,O my foul ! dostthou not remember,when, likethebeloveddisciple, thou layest in Jesus's bosom,how didst thou
Aconvictive reflection. sweeten communion with him ? How restless and impatient wast thou in his absence ! divine withdrawments were to thee as the hell of hell; whataburdenwas the world to me in those days! Had itnotbeenfor confscience of my duty, I could have beenwillingto let all lie, that communion with Christ might suffer no interruption. When I awaked in the night, how was the darkness enlightened by the heavenly glimpses of the countenance of my God upon me? How did his company shorten those hours, and beguile the tediousness of the night?
Omy foul, speak thy experience, is it now as it was then ? No, no,those days are past and gone, and thou become much a stranger to that heavenly life. Art thou able, with truth, to deny this charge ? When occasionally I pass by those places, which were once to me as Jacob's Bethel to him ; I sigh at the remembrance offormerpaffages betwixt me andheaventhere ; and say,with "Job, chap.xxix. "O that it were with me as in " months past, as in the days when God preserved me,when
" his candle shineduponmyhead,when by his light I walked " through darkness, when the Almighty was yet with me,
"when I put on righteousness, and it cloathed me, when my " glory was fresh in me! When I remember these things my
" foul ispouredoutwithin me."
2. Is thyobediencetothe commands of Christ, and motions to duty, as free and chearful as they were wont to be ? Call to mind, my soul, the times when thou waft borne down the stream of love toeveryduty.
If the Spirit did but whisper to thee, saying, Seek my face, how did my spirit echo to his
Husbandry Spiritualized; or, calls ?"saying, "Thy face Lord will I seek," Psal. xxvii. 8.
If God had any work to be done, how readily did I offer my service ? Here am1, Lord, send me. Myfoulmade me like the chariots ofAminadab; loveoiled the wheels of my affections, and "his commandments were not grievous," 1 Johnv. 3.
Nontardatunita rota. There were no fuchquarrellings with the command, no such excuses, and delays, as there are now.
No, such was my love to Christ, anddelighttodo his will, that Icouldnomorekeepbackmyselffromduty,than a man that iscarriedaway in a crowd.
Or, lastly, tell me,Omyfoul, dost thou bemoan thyself, or grieve so tenderly for fin,and for grieving the holy Spirit of God, as thouwastwont to do ? When formerly I had fallen by thehandofatemptation,how was I wont to lie in tears at the
Lord's feet, bemoaning myself ? HowdidI hastentomycloset, and there cry, like Ezra, chap. ix. 6. " O my God, I am
"ashamed, and blush to look up unto thee." How did I fighandweepbefore him, and, like Ephraim, smiteupon my thigh, saying, " What have I done?" Ah my soul ! how did it thou work, strive, and cast about how to recover thyself again?
Haft thou forgotten how thou wouldst sometimes look up and sigh bitterly ? Ah ! whataGod have I provoked ? what love and goodness have I abused? Sometimes look in, and weep,
Ah! what motions did I withstand ? what a good spirit have l grieved ? Ah ! my soul, thou wouldst have abhorred thyself, thoucouldstneverhaveborneit,had thine heart been as stupid, and as relentless then as now; i fever a poor foul had reason to dissolve itselfintotears for its fad relapses, I have.
2.Butyetmournnot,Omy foul,asonewithAfupporting out hope. Remember, " There is hope in Israel reflection.
" concerning thisthing." As low as thyconditionis, itisnotdefperate, itisnota diseasethatscorns a remedy; many am an, thathathbeen stretchedoutfordead,hath revived again, and lived many a comfortable day in the world; many a tree that hath cast both leaf and fruit, by the skill ofa prudent husbandman, hathrecoveredagain,andbeenmadebothflourishingandfruitful.
Isitnotcafier, thinkestthou, to recover a languishing man to health,than adeadman to life ? And yet this
Goddidfor me, Eph. ii. 1. Is anything too hard for the Lord?
" Though my foul draw nigh to the pit,and my life to thede- " ftroyers, yet hecansendmea messenger, one among a thou- "sand,thatshalldeclareto memyuprightness; then shallhede- " liver mefromgoingdown into the pit,my flesh shall be fresher
" thanachild's, and I shallreturntothedays of my youth," Job
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xxxiii. 22.
Though I flourish, and much of my fruit too be gone, and I am a withering tree ; yet as long as the root of the matter is in me, there is more hope of such a poor, decayed, withered tree, than of the hypocrite that wants such a root, in all his glory and bravery. His funshallfet, and never rise again; but I live in expectation of a sweet morning, after this dark night.
Rouze up, therefore, O my soul, set thy faith a work on Christ for quickening grace, for he hath life in himself, and quickenswhomsoever he will, John vii. 38.
Stir up that little which remains, Rev. iii. 2. hast thou not seen lively flames proceed from glimmering, and dying sparks, when carefully collected, and blown up ? Get amongst the most lively and quickening Christians; " as iron sharpens iron, so will these set an edge upon thy dull affections," Prov. xxvii. 17. Acts xviii. 15.
But, above all, cry mightily to the Lord for quickening, he will not despise thy cry.
The moans of a distressed child, work upon the bowels of a tender father. And be sure to keep within thy view the great things of eternity, which are ready to be revealed; live in the believing and serious contemplations of them, and be dead if thou canst.
It is true, thou haft reason enough from thy condition, to be for ever humbled, but no reason at all from thy God, to be in the least discouraged.
The POEM.
HOU art the husbandman, and I T A worthless plot of husbandry, Whom special love did, ne'ertheless, Divide from nature's wilderness.
Then did the fun-shine of thy face, And sweet illapses of thy grace, Like April show'rs, and warminggleams, 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 withinmeburn'd.
O halcyon days ! thrice happy state!
Each place was Bethel, heaven's gate.
What sweet discourse, what heav'nly talk, Whilst with thee I did daily walk !
Mine eyes o'erflow, my heart doth sink, As oft as on those days I think.
VOL. VI.
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