infernal fowls. Had these principles been the seed of God, no doubt they would have continued and overcome the world. Wretched soul! thy case is sad; it will be better with the uncultivated wilderness, than with such a miscarrying soul, unless the Great Husbandman plough thee up the second time, and sow thy heart with better seed. And are the corruptions of my heart to grace, what fowls, weeds and mildews are to the corn? The careless O what need have I then to watch my heart, soul's reflec- and keep it with all diligence; for in the life tion. of that grace is wrapt up the life of my soul. He that carries a candle in his hand, in a blustering, stormy night, had need to cover it close, lest it be blown out and he left in darkness. O let me never say, God hath promised it shall persevere, and therefore I need not be so solicitous to preserve it; for as this inference is quite opposite to the nature of true grace and assurance, which never encourage to carelessness, but provoke the soul to an industrious use of means to preserve it; so it is in itself an irrational and senseless conclusion, which will never follow from any scripture promise; for although it is readily granted, that God hath made many comfortable and sweet promises to the grace of his people, yet we must expect to enjoy the benefits and blessings of all those promises in that way and order in which God hath promised them, and that is in the careful and diligent use of those means which he hath prescribed. Ezek. xxxvi. 36, 37. For promises do not exclude, but imply the use of means. I know my life is determined to a day, to an hour, and I shall live out every minute God hath appointed; but yet I am bound to provide food, raiment and physic to preserve it. To conclude, let all doubting Christians-reflect seriously upon this truth, and suck marrow and fatness out of it to strengthen and establish The doubting them against all their fears: Your life, your soul's reflecspiritual life hath for many years hung in tions. suspense before you, and you have often said with David, I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul. Desponding, trembling soul! lift up thine eyes and look upon the fields; the corn lives still and grows up, though birds have watched to devour it; snows have covered it, beasts have cropped it, weeds have almost choaked it, yet it is preserved. And hath not God more care of that precious seed of his own spirit in thee, than any husbandman hath in his corn? Hath he not said, "That having begun the good work in thee, he will perfect it to the day of Christ ?" Hath he not said, "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." Hast thou not many times said, and thought of it, as thou dost now, and yet it lives? O what matter of unspeakable joy and comfort is this to upright souls! Well then, be not discouraged, for thou dost not run as one uncertain, nor fight as one that beats the air. But "the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal-the Lord knows who are his." Though thy grace be weak, thy God is strong; though the stream seem sometimes to fail, yet it is fed by an overflowing fountain. CHAPTER XIV. UPON THE PATIENCE OF THE HUSBANDMAN FOR THE HARVEST. Our husbandmen for harvest wait and stay; OBSERVATION. THE expectation of a good harvest at last makes the husbandman, with untired patience, to digest all his la bors. He that ploughs, ploughs in hope. 1 Cor. vi. 19. And they are not so irrational to think they shall presently be partakers of their hope; nor so foolish as to antici pate the harvest, by cutting down their corn before it be fully ripened; but are content to plough, sow and weed it; and when it is fully ripe, then they go forth into their fields, and reap it with joy. APPLICATION. Can a little corn cause men to digest so many difficult labors, and make them wait with invincible patience till the reaping time come? Much more should the expect. ation of eternal glory steel and fortify my spirit against all intercurrent hardships and difficulties. It least of all becomes a Christian to be of a hasty and impatient spirit. "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart." "Behold the husbandman waiteth," &c. "Be patient, therefore, my brethren, for the coming of the Lord draws near." There are three great arguments to persuade Christians to a long-suffering and patient frame under sufferings. (1.) The example of Christ. Isa. liii. 7. To think how quietly he suffered all injuries and difficulties with invincible patience, is sufficient to shame the best of Christians, who are of such short spirits. I have read of one Elezarius, a nobleman, that when his wife wondered at his exceeding great patience in bearing injuries, he thus answered her, "You know sometimes my heart is ready to burst with indignation against such as wrong me, but I presently begin to think of the wrongs that Christ suffered, and say thus to myself Although thy servant should pluck' thy beard, and smite thee on thy face, this were nothing to what the Lord suffered; he suffered more and greater things; And assure yourself, wife, I never leave off thinking of the injuries done to my Saviour till such time as my mind be still and quiet." To this purpose it was well noted by Bernard, speaking of Christ's humiliation, "Was Christ the Lord of glory thus humbled and emptied of his fulness of glory? And shall such a worm as I swell?" (2.) The desert of sin. "Why doth the living man complain ?" It was a good saying of the blessed Greenham, "When sin lies heavy, affliction lies light." *And it is a famous instance which Dr. Taylor gives of the Duke of Conde. I have read, saith he, when the Duke of Conde had voluntarily entered into the inconveniences of a religious poverty and retirement, he was one day spied and pitied by a lord of Italy, who, out of tenderness, wished him to be more careful and nutritive of his person. The good duke answered, "Sir, be not troubled, and think not that I am ill provided with conveniences, for I send an harbinger before me, that makes ready my lodgings, and takes care that I be royally entertained." The lord asked him who was his harbinger? He answered, "The knowledge of myself, and the consideration of what I de * Dr. Taylor's great Exemplar, p. 103. serve for my sins, which is eternal torments; and when, with this knowledge, I arrive at my lodgings, how unprovided soever I find it, methinks it is ever better than I deserve." (3.) And as the sense of sin, which merits hell, sweetens present difficulties, so (to come home to the present similitude) do the expectations and hopes of a blessed harvest and reward in heaven. This made Abraham willing to wander up and down many years as a stranger in the world; for he looked for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. The hopes of such a harvest is encouragement enough to work hard and wait long; yet some Christians are so impatient of it, that they would fain be reaping before the time; but as God hath, by an unalterable law of nature, appointed both the seasons of seed-time and harvest, which are therefore called the appointed weeks of the harvest, Jer. v. 24. and these cannot be hastened; but when we have done all that we can on our part, must wait till God send the former and the latter rain, and give every natural cause its effect; so is it in reference to our spiritual harvest; we are appointed to sweat in the use of all God's appointments, and when we have done all, must patiently wait till the divine decrees be accomplished, and the time of the promise be fully come; In due time we shall reap, if we faint not. To which patient expectation, and quiet waiting for the glory to come, these following considerations are of excellent use. 1. As the husbandman knows when the seed-time is past, it will not be long to the harvest, and the longer he waits, the nearer still it is; so the Christian knows, "It is but yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.' "And that now his salvation is nearer than when he first believed." What a small point of |