2. The husbandman's work is confessed to be spending work, but not like the Christian's. What Augustus said of the young Roman, ig verified in the true Christian, Cliiicqiikl vulf^ valde vitlt. AVhat- soever he doth in religion, he doth to purpose. Under the law, God rejected the snail and the ass^ Lev. xi. 30. Exod. xiii. 13. And under the gospel, he allows no sluggish lazy professor, 1 Tim. v. 11, 13. Sleepy duties are utterly unsuitable to the living God ; he will have the very spirits distilled and offered up to him in every duty, John iv. 24. he bestows- upon his people the very substance and ker- nel of mercies, and will not accept from them the shells and shadows of duties ; not the skin, but the inwards, and the fat that covereth the inwards, were required under the law, Exod. xxix. 30. And every sacrifice under the gospel, mvist be sacrijicium mcdullaium, a sacrifice full of marrow ; observe the manner in which their work is to be performed.
Ilom. xii. 11. In serving God, fervent in spirit, or hissing hot.
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS. 29
2 Pet. i. 10. In securing salvation, diligent ; or doing it thorough- ly and enough.
1 Tim. iv. 7. In godliness, exercising or stripping themselves ; as for a race.
Luke xiii. 24. In the pursuit of happiness, striving even to an agony.
Acts xxvi. 7. In prayer, serving God instantly ; or in a stretched out manner ; yea, pouring out their hearts before him, Psal. Ixii. 8. as if the body were left like a dead corpse upon the knees, whilst the spirit is departed from it, and ascended to God. This is the manner of his work : judge then how much harder this work is, than to spend the sweet 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 so with the Christian ; a bad heart and a busy devil, disorder and spoil his work every day. The Christian finds not his heart in the morning, as he left it at night ; and even when he is about his work, how many set-backs doth he meet with ? Satan stands at his right hand (the working- hand) to resist him, Zech. iii. 1. when he would do good, evil (the evil of his own heart and nature) is present with him.
4. The husbandman hath some resting-days, when he throws aside all his work, and takes his recreation ; but the Christian hath DO resting-day, till his dying-day ; and then he shall rest from his labours. Religion allows no idle day, " but requires him to be al- ways 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 rest to the husbandman, but no day in the week so laborious to the Chris- tian. O it is a spending day to him. When he hath gathered in the crop of one duty, he is not to sit down satisfied therewith, or say as that rich worldhng did, Luke xii. 19. " Soul, take thine ease, *• thou hast goods laid up for many years f"" but must to plow again, and count it well if the vintage reach to the seed-time, Lev. xxvi. 5. I mean, if the strength, 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 more solemn duties. These are to keep in the fire, which kindled the morning sacrifice, to kindle the even- ing sacrifice. When can the Christian sit down and say, Nozv all mi/ •worli IS ended, I have nothing to do zvithout doors, or xvithin ?
Lastly, There is a time when the labour of the husbandman is ended ; old age and weakness takes them off from all employment ; they can look only upon their labourers, but cannot do a stroke of work themselves ; they can tell you what they did in their younger years, but now (say they) we must leave it to younger people : we cannot be young always ; but the Christian is never superannuated as to the work of religion; yea, the longer he lives, the more his Mas- ter expects from him. When he is full of days, God expects he should
so HUSBANDRY SPIRITUALIZED ; OR,
be full of fruits, Psal. xcii. 14. " They shall bring forth fruit in old " age, they shall be fat and flourishing."
1. How hard have I laboured for the meat that perisheth ? Pre- rpj ^ ji. , vented the dawning of the day, and laboured as n ' . ° in the very fire, and yet is the Christian's work
rejiec ion, hai'der than mine ? Surely, then, I never yet
understood the work of Christianity. Alas, my sleepy prayers, and formal duties, even all that ever I performed in my life, never cost me that pains, that one hour at plow hath done. I have either wholly neglected, or at best, so lazily performed religious duties, that I may truly say, I offer to God what cost me nothing. Wo is me, poor Wretch ! How is the judgment of Korali spiritually ex- ecuted upon me ? The earth opened her mouth, and sv/allowed up his body ; but it hath opened its mouth and swallowed up my heart, my time, and all my affections. How far am I from the kingdom of God !
2. And how little better Is my case, who have indeed professed
rrji n t ^i rcliffion, but never made it my business "^ Will I lie formaiist s f /^i i i r ]\ ^ • s
„ y an empty (though splendid) proiession save me .''
•^ ^ * How many brave shipshave perished in the storms,
notwithstanding their fine names, the ProsperouSy the Success, the
Happy Return ? A fine name could not protect them from the rocks,
nor will it save me from hell. I have done by religion, as I should
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 shadow of duty, and
can never expect from him a real rewai'd.
3. How unlike a Christian dost thou also, O my soul, go about thy ^, ^ . ^ work; though upright in the main; yet how
7 iJTy^f.,^^ ^ ^ littlezealand activitydostthouexpressinthy sloihfid Christian. ^^^.^^ , ,^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^j^
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 sweat which I see trickle from their brows fetch, as it were, a drop of blood from my heart, who am thus convinced and reproved of shameful laziness, by their indefatigable diligence ? Do they pant after the dust of the earth.? Amos ii. 7. And shall not I pant after God.? Psal. xlii. 1. Ah, my soul, it was not wont to be so with thee in the days of my first profession. Should I have had no more communion with God in duties then, it would have broken my heart : I should have been weary of my life. Is this a time for one to stand idle, who stands at the door of eternity ? What, now slack-handed, when so near to my everlasting rest, Rom. xiii. 11. or hast thou found the work of God so unpleasant to thee.? Prov. iii. 17. or the trade of godliness so unprofitable ? Psal. xix. 12. Or knowest thou not, that millions.
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS.