_,, „ ,1. This meditation may be tome what the
The profane persons hand-writingupon the wall was to that profane rejiectton, prince, Dan. v. 5, 6. and a like effect it should
have upon me ; for if all the actions of this life be seed sown for the next. Lord, what a crop, what a dreadful harvest am I like to have ! How many oaths and curses, lies and vain words have I sown with my tongue ! How have I wronged, oppressed, and over-reached in my dealings ! Rushed into all profaneness, drunkenness, uncleanness, sabbath-breaking, &c. " as the horse rusheth into the battle !" And what shall I reap from such seed as this but vengeance and fury ! These sins seemed pleasant in the commission, but, oh ! how bitter will it be on their account ? " What shall I do when God riseth up ; " and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him.?" Job xxxi. 14. Is it not reasonable and just, O my soul ! that thou shouldest eat the fruit of thine own planting, and reap what thou hast sown.? I thought nothing but profit and pleasure would spring from my lust : but now I see it is a root bearing gall and wormwood, Deut. xxix. 18. Wretched soul ; what shall 1 do .? By these actions I am undone. I have been the author of mine own ruin, twisted an halter with mine own fing-ers for the execution of mine own soul: Oh ! let me rather taste the bitterness of sm, by repentance now, than enjoy its present pleasures which betray the soul to endless wrath !
* C-U'iyi video, mala fata bonis, ignoscite qiteeso : Sollicitor nullos esse piUare Deos. Ovid.
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EATITHLY THINGS. 125
S. How have I also been deceived in this matter ? I verily thought that glory and im- The moral marCg mortaUty would have been the fruit and pro- reflection, duct of my moral honesty and righteousness ; that joy and peace had been seminally contained in those actions ; but now I see such fruit can spring from no other root but special grace. Glory is disclosed from no other bud but holiness. Alas ! all my planting and sowing was to little purpose, because I sowed not the right kind of seed ; the best fruit I can expect from this is but a lesser degree of damnation.
Deluded soul ! thy seed is no better than what the moral hea- thens sowed : And do I expect better fruit than what they reaped ? Civility without Christ, is but a free slavery; and Satan holds me as fast in captivit}^ by this, as he doth the profane by the pleasure of their lusts : Either I must sow better seed, or look to reap bitter fruit
3. Mean while, bless the Lord, O my soul ! who enabled thee to sow better seed ; who kept The holy souTs thee wal-ching, humbling thyself, and praying, reflection. whilst others have been swearing, drinking and blaspheming. This will yield thee fruit of joy in the world to come ; yea, it yields present peace to thy conscience. These re- venues are better than gold, sweeter than the honey, and the honey- comb ; not that such fruits are meritoriously contained in these ac- tions ; 1 sow to myself in righteousness, but I reap in mercv, Hos, X. 12. This is the way in which God will save and glorify me. O then, let me be ever abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that my labour shall not be in vain in the Lord.
A WOULD be a strange and monstrous thing to see Cherries or plumbs grow on an apple-tree. Whoever ffather'd from the thistle fin's ? Or fruitless grapes from off the worthless twio-s Of pricking thorns ? In nature still we find All its productions answering to their kind. As are the plants we set, or seeds we sow. Such is the fruit we shake, and corn we mow: And canst thou think, that from corruption's root Thy soul shall pluck the sweat and pleasant fruit Of spiritual peace ! Whoever that was wise, Abus'd himself with such absurdities ? Look what you sow, the very same you'll reap. The fruit of what you plant, be sure you 11 eat. How are they baffled by a subtile devil. Who hope for heaven, whilst their ways are evil ? Such reasonings here their credulous souls beguile, At which, iu other things, themselves would smile.
126 HUSBANDRY SPIRITUALIZED ; OR,
Our present acts, though shghtly passed by.
Are so much seed sown for eternity.
The seeds of prayers, secret groans and tears.
Will shoot at last into the full-blown ears
Of peace and joy. Blessed are they that sow
Beside these waters, yea, thrice bless'd, that go
Bearing such precious seed : Though now they mourn.
With joyful sheaves they shortly shall return.
Needs must the full-ripe fruits in heaven be good.
When as the seed was glory in the bud.
But oh ! the bitter, baneful fruits of sin.
When all the pleasures sinners have therein,
Like faded blossoms to the ground shall fall,
Then they will taste the wormwood and the gall !
What God and conscience now of sin report.
You slight, and with their dreadful threat' nings sport :
But he'll convice you then your ways are naught,
As Gideon the men of Succoth taught.
If sermons cannot, fire and brimstone must
Teach men how good it is to pamper lust.
When conscience takes thee by the throat, and cries
Now wretch ! now sinner ! thou that didst despise
My warnings ; learn, and ever learning be
That lesson which thou ne'er wouldst learn of me.
The stoutest sinner then would howl and roar,
0 sin I never saw thy face before.
Is this the fruit of sin ? Is this the place Where I must lie ? Is this indeed the case Of my poor soul ! must I be bound in chains . With these companions ? Oh I are these the gains
1 get by sin ? Poor wretch ! I that would never See this before, am now undone for ever I
Upon the Joy of Harvest-men.
Great is the joy of harvest-men : yet less
Than theirs whom God doth with his favour hless.
-Among all eai-thly joys, these four sorts are noted in scripture, as the most excellent and remarkable. (1.) Nuptial joys ; the day of espousals is the day of the gladness of a man's heart, Cant. iii. 11. (2.) The joy of ch'ddren : Though now it seems but a com- mon mercy to most, and a burden to some, yet the people of God were wont to esteem it a choice mercy, and rejoiced greatly in it, John xvi. 21. there is joy that a man is born into the world.
THE HEAVEKLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS. 127
(3.) The joy of conquests and victories , when men divide the spoil ; And, lastly, The joy of harvest. These two we find put together, as principal matters of joy, Isa. ix. 3. " They joy before thee according " to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. The joy ofharvest is no small joy ; Gaudiitm messisest messis gaudii; The joy of harvest, is the harvest of their joy. It is usual with men, wiien they have reaped down their harvest (or cut the neck, as they call it) to demonstrate their joy by shouting, and loud accla- mations.