godly wlio shall be held ii]) to the wind ; but only the wicked shall be driven away by it. Such a day Ciod hath in this world, wherein he winnows his wheat, and separates the cliafK There is a double f'annini^ or winnowint^ of men here in this world ; one is doctrrnally^ m which sense I understand that scripture, Matth. iii. 1^. spoken of Christ, when he was entering upon his ministerial work : " His fan <* is in his hand ; and he shall thorouivhly purge his floor, aqd gather <' his wlieat into the garner; but he will burn up the chafl'with un- " quenchablc fire."" The preaching oi' the gospel is as a fan in Christ's hand: and it is as much as if John liad thus told the Jews, that though there were many hypocritical ones among tlieni, that Jiad now a name and place among the [)eoplc of (rod, and gloried in their church-privileges ; yet there is a purging blast of truth coming ■which shall make tliem fly out of the church, as chaff' out of the floor. Thus Christ winnows or fans the world docirlnally : the other i^jiidlcioml//, by bringing sore and grievous trials and sufferings upon the churches fortius very end, that those which are but chaff, i. e. empty and vain professors, may by such winds as these be se- parated from his people.
The church increases two ways, and by two diverse means ; exten- slvehj^ in breadth and numbers; and inicnsivelij^ in vigour and power; peace and ])rosperity cause the first, sufferings and adversity the last : And well may a day of persecution be called a w innowing- day, for then are the people of God tossed to purpose, as coi'n in the sieve, though nothing but chaff* be lost thereby. Of such a winnowing-day the ])rophet speaks, xVmos ix. 9, 10. " I will sift the " house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, ** yet shall not the least grain fall upon tlie earth; all the sinners *' of my people shall die." q. d. I will cause great agitations and tossings among you by the hands of the Assyrians and Jiabylonians, into whose countries you shall be dispersed and scattered ; yet I will so govern those your dispersions hy my jyrovidence, that not one good grain, one upright soul, shall eternally perish, but the sinners of my people, the refuse stuff', that shall ])erish.
To the same purpose speaks another prophet, Ziph. ii. 1,2. " Ga- " ther yourselves together, (or as some read) fan yourselves, yea, fan " yourselves, before the decree bring forth, and the day y)ass as the " chaff*." He doth not mean that the time shall pass as the chaff*, but there is the day of affliction and distress coming, in which the wicked shall passas the chaff before the wind ; and yet, notwithstand- ing all these winnowings upon earth, much chaff will still abide aniong the corn ; therefore God hath ap[)ointed another day for the win- nowing of the world, even the day of judgment; in reference to which it is said. Psalm i. 4, 5. " The ungodly are not so, but are •' hke the chaff which the wind drives away ; therefore the ungod- " ly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of " the righteous ;" i. e. God hath 9, day wherein he will sift the
138 HUSBANDllY ?PIRITUALIZEJ) ; Oil,
world like corn in a sieve, and then the wicked shall appear to be but chaff, which God will eternally separate from his wheat. I will not strain the similitude, but fairly display it in these seven parti- culars.
1. The chaff and wheat grow together in the same field, and upon the same root and stalk. In this wicked men are like chaff, who not only associate with the people of God, but oftentimes spring up with them in the same family, and from the same root or immediate parents, Mai. i. 2. " Was not Esau Jacob's brother ?''' Yet the one was wheat, the other chaff. Instances of this are infinite.
2. The husbandman would never endure the husks, chaff, and dry stalks to remain in the field ; if it were not for the good corn's sake, he would quickly set fire to it, but that the corn is among it, Avhich he highly prizetli : And be assured, God would never suffer the wicked to abide long in this world, were it not for his own elect that are dispersed among them : Except the Lord had such a remnant dispersed in the world, he would quickly set fire to the four quarters of it, and mawe it like Sodom, Isa. i. 9-
3. The chaff is a very worthless thing, the husbandman cares not what become of it; and of as little worth are wicked men, Prov. x. 20. " The heart of the wicked is little worth." The heart is the principal part of the man, and yet that is but chaff, no worth in it ; his hands, his clothes, &c. are worth somewhat, but his heart is worth nothini]^.
4. Though chaff in itself be nothing worth, yet it is of some use to the corn while it is standing in the field ; the stalk bears up the ear, and the chaff covers the grain, and defends it from the injury of the weather. Thus God makes wicked men of use to his people in outward society; they help to support and protect them in this world. Rev. xii. 16. " The earth helped the woman, "" i. e. worldly men for carnal ends helped the church, when a flood of persecution was poured out. The church often helps the world, it receives many benefits from the people of GocT; and sometimes God over-rules the world to help his church.
5. When the chaff and wheat are both brought forth and held up to the wind in one sieve, they fall two ways ; the wheat falls down upon the floor or sheet, the chaff is carried quite away : So that al- though for a time godly and ungodly abide together, yet when this winnowing-time comes, God's wheat shall be gathered into his garner in heaven, the chaff shall go the other way. Mat. iii. 12.
6. If there be any chaff among the corn, it will appear when it is sifted in a windy day ; it cannot possibly escape if it be well winnow- ed ; much more impossible it is for any wicked man to escape the cri- tical search of God in that day ; the closet hypocrite shall then be de- tected, for God will judge the secrets of men, 2 Cor. xvi. " He will *' then bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make mani- ^' fest the counsels of the heart, " 1 Cor. iv. 5.
THE HEAVEXLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS. 139
7. Lastly, After corn and cliafF aro separated by the winnowing wind, they shall never lie together in one heap any more : The wick- ed shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacol), and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but themselves thrust out : There is no chaff in heaven.
1. Am I an empty vain professor, that wants