you, as you find them in the following chapters, Read, confider, and apply; and the Lord make you good husbandmen for your own fouls. THE FIRST O F PART HUSBANDRY SPIRITUALIZE D. T СНАР I. Upon the Industry of the Husbandman. In the laborious husbandman you fee OBSERVATIO N. HE employment of the husbandman is by all acknowledged to be very laborious; there is a multiplicity of bufinefs incumbent on him. The end of one work is but the beginning of another, every season of the year brings its proper work with it: fometimes you find him in his fields, dreffing, plowing, fowing, harrowing, weeding, or reaping; and fometimes in his barn, threshing or winnowing; fometiines in his orchard, planting, graffing, or pruning, his trees; and fometimes among his cattle; fo that he hath no time to be idle. As he hath a multiplicity of business, so every part of it is full of toil, and fpending labour: he eats not the bread of idleness, but earns it before he eats it; and, as it were, dips it in his own sweat, whereby it becomes the sweeter to him. Though fin brought in the husbandman's fweat, Gen. iii. 19. yet now not to fweat would increase his fin, Ezek. xvi. 49. APPLICATION. Behold here the life of a serious Christian, fhadowed forth to the life. As the life of a husbandman, fo the life of a Chriftian is no idle nor eafy life. They that take up religion for oftentation, and not for an occupation, and those that place the bufinefs of it in notions, and idle speculations, in forms, gestures, and external observances, may think, and call it so: but fuch as devote themselves unto it, and make religion their business, will find it no easy work, to exercise themselves to godliness. Many there are, that affect the reputation and sweet of it, who cannot endure the labour and fweat of it. If men might be indulged to divide their heart betwixt God and the world, or to cull out the cheap and easy duties of it, and neglect the more difficult and coftly ones, it were an eafy thing to be a Chriftian: but furely to have a respect to all God's commandments, to live the life, as well as fpeak the language of a Christian; to be holy in all manner of conversation, is not fo eafy. This will be evident, by comparing the life of a Chriftian, with the life of a husbandman, in these five particulars; wherein it will appear, that the work of a Chriftian, is by much the hardest work of the two. 1. The husbandman hath much to do, many things to look after; but the Christian more: if we respect the extensiveness of his work, he hath a large field indeed to labour in, Pfalm cxix. 96. "Thy commandment is exceeding broad," of a vaft extent and latitude, comprizing not only a multitude of external acts and duties, and guiding the offices of the outward man about them, but also taking in every thought and motion of the inner man within its compass. You find in the word, a world of work cut out for Chriftians; there is hearing-work, praying-work, reading, meditating, and felf-examining-work; it puts him also upon a constant watch over all the corruptions of his heart. Oh, what a world of work hath a Christian about him? For of them he may fay, as the hiftorian doth of Hannibal, they are never quiet, whether conquering or conquered. How many weak, languishing graces hath he to recover, improve, and strengthen? There is a weak faith, a languishing love, dull and faint defires to be quickened, and invigorated. And when all this is done, what a multitude of work do his feveral relations exact from him? He hath a world of bufinefs incumbent on him, as a parent, child, hufband, wife, mafler, fervant, or friend, yea, not only to friends, but enemies. And, befides all this, how many difficult things are there to be borne and fuffered for Chrift? And yet God will not allow his people to the neglect of any one of them: neither can he be a Chriftian that hath not refpect to every command, and is not holy in all manner of conversation, Pfalm cxix. 6. 2 Pet. iii. 11. every one of thefe duties, like the several fpokes in a wheel, come to bear, in the whole round of a Chriftian's converfation: fo that he hath more work upon his hands than the husbandman. 2. The husbandman's work is confeffed to be spending work, but not like the Chriftians. What Auguftus faid of the young Roman, is verified in the true Chriftian, Quicquid vult, valde vult. Whatsoever he doth in religion, he doth to purpose. Under the law, God rejected the fnail and the afs, Lev. xi. 30. Exod. xiii. 13. And under the gofpel, he allows no fluggifh, lazy profeffor, 1 Tim. v. 11, 13. Sleepy duties are utterly unfuitable to the living God; he will have the very spirits distilled and offered up to him in every duty, John iv. 24. he beftows upon his people the very substance and kernel of mercies, and will not accept from them the fhells and fhadows of duties; not the skin, but the inwards, and the fat that covereth the inwards, was required under the law, Exod. xxix. 30. And every facrifice under the gospel, must be facrificium medullatum, a facrifice full of marrow; obferve the manner in which their work is to be performed. Rom. xii. 11. In ferving God, fervent in fpirit, or hiffing hot. 2 Pet. i. 10. In fecuring falvation, diligent; or doing it thoroughly, and enough. 1 Tim. iv. 7. In godliness, exercising or ftripping themfelves; as for a race. Luke xiii. 24. In the pursuit of happiness, striving even to an agcny. Acts xxvi. 7. In prayer, ferving God inftantly; or in a ftretched out manner; yea, pouring out their hearts before him, Pfalm lxii. 8. as if the body were left like a dead corps upon the knees, whilft the fpirit is departed from it, and af cended to God. This is the manner of his work: judge then how much harder this work is, than to spend the sweat of the brow in manual labour. 3. The husbandman finds his work as he left it, he can begin one day where he left the other; but it is not fo with the Chriftian, a bad heart, and a bufy devil, diforder and fpoil his work every day. The Chriftian finds not his heart in the morning, as he left it at night; and even when he is about his work, how many fet-backs doth he meet with? Satan ftands at his righthand (the working hand) to refift him, Zech. iii. 1. when he would do good, evil (the evil of his own heart and nature) is perfent with him. 4. The husbandman hath some resting-days, when he throws afide all his work, and takes his recreation; but the Christian hath no refting-day, till his dying-day; and then he shall reft from his labours. Religion allows no idle day, "but requires "him to be always abounding in the work of the Lord," 1 Cor. xv. 18. When one duty is done, another calls for him; the Lord's day is a day of reft to the husbandman, but no day in the week fo laborious to the Chriftian. O it is a spending day to him. When he hath gathered in the crop of one duty, he is not to fit down satisfied therewith, or fay as that rich worldling did, Luke xii. 19. "Soul, take thine eafe, thou haft "goods laid up for many years;" but muft to plow again, and count it well if the vintage reach to the feed-time, Levit. xxvi. 5. I mean, if the ftrength, influence, and comfort of one duty, hold out to another duty; and that it may be so, and there be no room left for idleness, God hath appointed ejaculatory prayer, to fill up the intervals, betwixt stated and the more folemn duties. These are to keep in the fire, which kindled the morning facrifice, to kindle the evening facrifice. When can the Chriftian fit down and fay, Now all my work is ended, I have nothing to do without doors, or within? Laftly, There is a time when the labour of the husbandman is ended; old age and weakness takes him off from all employment; they can look only upon their labourers, but cannot do a ftroke of work themselves; they can tell you what they did in their younger years, but now (fay they) we must leave it to younger people: we cannot be young always; but the Christian is never fuperannuated as to the work of religion; yea, the longer he lives, the more his master expects from him. When he is full of days, God expects he fhould be full of fruits, Pfal xcii. 14. "They fhall bring forth fruit in old age, they fhall be fat "and flourishing." REFLECTION S. The worlding's reflection. 1. How hard have I laboured for the meat that perifheth? Prevented the dawning of the day, and laboured as in the very fire, and yet is the Chriftian's work harder than mine? Surely, then, I never yet understood the work of Christianity. Alas, my fleepy prayers, and formal duties, even all that ever I performed in my life, never coft me that pains, that one hour at plow hath done. I have either wholly neglected, or, at beft, fo lazily performed religious duties, that I may truly fay, I offer to God what coft me nothing. Wo is me, poor wretch! How is the judgment of Korah fpiritually executed upon me The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up his body; but it hath opened its mouth and fwallowed up my heart, my time, and all my affections. How far am I from the kingdom of God! The formalift's reflection. 2. And how little better is my cafe, who have indeed profeffed religion, but never made it my business? Will an empty (though fplendid) profeffion fave me? How many brave fhips have perished in the storms, notwithstanding their fine names, the profperous, the fuccefs, the happy return? A fine name could not protect them from the rocks, nor will it fave me from hell. I have done by religion, as I fhould have done by the world; prayed, as if I prayed not; and heard, as if I heard not. I have given to God but the fhadow of duty, and can never expect from him a real reward. of 3. How unlike a Christian dost thou, The reflections of a alfo, O my foul, go about thy work; fothful Chriftian. though upright in the main, yet how little zeal and activity doft thou express in thy duties? awake love and zeal, feest thou not the toil and pains men take for the world? How do they prevent the dawning of the day? And labour as in the very fire till night; and all this for a trifle! Should not every drop of fweat which I fee trickle from their brows, fetch (as it were) a drop of blood from my heart? who am thus convinced and reproved of fhameful laziness, by their indefatigable diligence. Do they pant after the duft of the earth? Amos ii. 7. And fhall I not pant after God, Pfal. xlii. 1. Ah, my foul, it was not wont to be so with thee in the days my firft profeffion. Should I have had no more communion with God in duties then, it would have broken my heart: I fhould have been weary of my life. Is this a time for one to ftand idle, who ftands at the door of eternity? What, now flack-handed, when fo near to my everlasting rest, Rom. xiii. 11. or haft thou found the work of God fo unpleasant to thee? Prov. iii. 17. or the trade of godliness fo unprofitable? Pfal. xix. 12. Or knoweft thou not, that millions now in hell perifhed for want of serious diligence in religion, Luke xiii. 34nor doth my diligence for God, anfwer to that which Chrift hath done and fuffered, to purchase my happiness or to the preparations he hath made in heaven for me? Or doft thou forget that thy mafter's eye is always upon thee, whilft thou art lazying and loitering? Or would the damned live at this rate as I do, if their day of grace might be recalled? For fhame, my foul, for fhame! rouze up thyfelf, and fall to thy work, |