II. UPON A BARREN PLOT OF GROUND.

WHEN I perceived one plot in my garden fruitful, and another barren, and observed the difference between the one and the other; how fresh and fragrant the fruitful plot was, and how agreeable its appearance, diapered as it was with variously coloured flowers, beautiful and lovely; and again, how loathsome and unseemly the other looked, where nothing appeared but briars and thorns, weeds, and stones, and rubbish :—I began to consider it was yet possible to reduce this plot into a better form, and turn it to a better use. Hereupon I caused the rubbish to be cleared away, the weeds to be plucked up, and the stones picked out; and, after I had digged and manured it, I had at length a result answerable to my expectation; for, when it was sown with better seed, it brought forth better fruit.

The unloveliness of this plot, when overgrown with weeds and rubbish, produced the following meditation:-I thought it strikingly represented a heart barren of grace and goodness, but fruitful of sin and wickedness; such a heart is more odious to God than this plot was to me, while a holy humble Christian is lovely in his eye: the one is like a watered garden that yields a sweet savour, like a garden of spices, Cant. iv. 12-15 the other only brings forth fruit fit for the fire; all the seed sown upon it is lost, and

UPON A BARREN PLOT OF GROUND,

"The

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choked with briers and thorns; and all the rain that falls upon it does but make the weeds more rank and flourishing. "Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter," Deut. xxxii. 32. 66 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web," Isa. lix. 5. earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned," Heb. vi. 7, 8. The fruitful Christian, watered by the word and Spirit, bringing forth a harvest of holiness, resembles the trees fit for food, which were not to be destroyed, Deut. xx. 19; whereas fruitless trees are for the fire, Matt. iii. 10. But oh, how much of this sterile barren ground is amongst us! how many are there who resist all the offered means of their recovery; and when God expects fruit, produce wild fruit: and yet this barren ground, if well manured, and if God breathe upon it, may prove good land. This consideration made me, with the servant in the gospel, cry out, Lord, spare them one year more, that I may dig about them, and dung them, Luke xiii. 8, that it may not be my fault, nor laid to my charge, that they perish.

O my soul, art not thou this barren plot, where nothing but briers and brambles can thrive, where at least little good fruit appears? God has done much more for thee, hedged thee about by his providence, watered thee with the dew of

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UPON A BARREN PLOT OF GROUND.

heaven, sent many of his servants to manure thee; whence then these tares and weeds? was not good seed sown? why hast thou not answered the great Husbandman's expectation? what could God have done more for his vineyard, than he has done for thee? Well, look to it; if thou remain fruitless, ere long he will pluck up thy hedge, pluck down thy wall, take away thy fence, cease caring for thee, and turn in the wild boar to devour; he will lay down his basket, and take up his axe. Oh the patience of a long-suffering God! who has borne with thee for many years, but will ere long, if thou remain fruitless, pronounce the sentence, Cut him down; why cumbereth he the ground," Luke xiii. 7. If this be the danger of barren souls, seek to be fruitful thyself, and do what in thee lies to make others fruitful also. "Herein," saith Christ, "is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit," John xv. 8.

O my God, Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, but thou givest the increase, I Cor. iii. 6. The harp yields no sound till touched by the hand of the musician, and the heart will never be made good till thou strikest the stroke. It is God alone can say to dry bones, Live; man can but speak to the ear, it is God must speak to the heart. Lord, speak home to my heart, and the work will be done. If means and ordinances would have sufficed, the work ere now would have been effected. Lord, leave me not to other husbandmen, for they cannot make me fruitful. O be thou my Gardener, and my soul shall flourish; blow upon thy spices, and they will send forth a

sweet savour.

III. ON THE EARTH BRINGING FORTH WEEDS.

I OBSERVED that it was the natural propensity of the earth to bring forth briers, thorns, and weeds, and such unprofitable productions, and that it fed and fostered them of its own accord, without any help of man; nay, man without much labour and toil cannot destroy or keep them under: whereas choice flowers, profitable herbs, wheat and barley, and other useful grain, spring not up at so easy a rate; there must be pains taken, digging, ploughing, harrowing, setting, sowing, weeding, and a great deal more, or no good crop can be expected. This observation made me think, that this was the fruit of the curse laid upon the earth for man's sake, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,” Gen. iii. 17—19.

This propensity also of the earth to bring forth weeds, and to starve the choicest plants, made me think it resembled the heart of man by nature, which is a fruitful field for sin and folly, but barren of any thing that is good. Evil thoughts, wicked words, and bad actions grow naturally there; but the herb of grace must be planted by the finger of God, and watered with the dew of heaven, or it will not prosper. Most of the good

seed sown there by the preachers of the word is lost, and comes to nothing; either it falls among stones, or thorns, or by the highway side, and thus is either starved, or choked, or devoured. Except the heart be well manured, and the nature of the soil changed; except it be well fenced and guarded, yea, watched and observed, nothing that is good will grow there. It is not in vain that God bids us break up the fallow ground of our hearts, and "sow not among thorns," Jer. iv. 3; Hos. x. 12. He sees it needful to plough deep furrows by affliction, before he can reach the roots of the weeds.

O my soul, art not thou this earth lying under the curse, where nothing profitable thrives and prospers? How comes it otherwise to pass, that thou art so prone to sin and so backward to obedience? vices naturally spring in thee, without help or labour, and are rank and flourishing; but grace thrives not without much care, if at all. How comes it to pass, that so much seed has been sown, and so little fruit appears; that if the devil, by temptation, sows his tares there, he need neither weed them nor look after them, the heart cherishes and nourishes them as her own; but the herb of grace is with difficulty reared. A good thought is hardly brought to a good resolution, or a good resolution to a good act. O my soul, see that the soil of thy heart be changed, and true grace be planted there, and the weeds of sin rooted out, or thou art still under the curse.

O my God, rather plough me and harrow me, rather pluck and tear me in pieces by