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This heavenly Hufbandman waits for the fruits of his fields alfo; never did any husbandman long for the defired harvest, more than God doth for the fruits of holiness from his faints: Great are the expectations of God from his people: "And when the time of the fruit drew near, he fent his fervants to the husbandmen, that they might "receive the fruits of it."

8. Prop. Hufbandmen are much delighted, to see the fuccefs of their labours; it comforts them over all their hard pains, and many weary days to fee a good increase.

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Reddit. Much more is God delighted in beholding the flourishing graces of his people; it pleases him to fee his plants laden with fruit; and his valleys fing with corn, Cant. vi. 2. My beloved is gone "down to the garden, into his beds of fpices, to feed in the gardens,, "and to gather lilies." Thefe beds of fpices (fay* expofitors) are the particular churches, the companies of believers; he goes to feed in thefe gardens, like as men go to their gardens to make merry, or to gather fruit, Cant. iv. 16. "He eats his pleafant fruit," viz. His people's holy performances, fweeter to him than any ambrofia; thus he feeds in the gardens, and he gathers lilies when he tranflates good fouls into his kingdom above; "For the Lord taketh pleafure "in his faints, and will beautify the meek with falvation."

9. Prop. The husbandman is exceedingly grieved when he sees the hopes of a good crop difappointed, and his fields prove barren, or blafted.

Reddit. So the Lord expreffes his grief for, and anger against his people, when they bring forth no fruits, or wild fruits, worfe than none, Hofea ix. 16. “ Ephraim is fmitten, their root is dried up."

Chrift was exceedingly difpleafed with the fig-tree, and curfed it for its barrennefs; it grieves him to the heart when his fervants return to him with fuch complaints as thefe, "We have laboured in "vain, we have spent our strength for nought."

10. Prop. Husbandmen employ many labourers to work in their fields, there is need of many hands for fuch a multiplicity of bufinefs.

Reddit. God hath diversity of workmen alfo in the churches whom he fends forth to labour in his fpiritual fields, Eph. iv. 12. "He gave "fome apoftles, fome prophets, and fome evangelifts, and fome "paftors and teachers, for the perfecting of the faints, for the work "of the miniftry," Amos iii. 7. I have fent [my fervants] the prophets. It is ufual with the apoftles to place this title of a fervant among their honourary titles, though a profane mouth once called it, probrofum artificium, a fordid artifice. Chrift hath stampt a great deal of dignity upon his minifters, in retaining them for the neareft fervice to himfelf, Cor. iv. 1. "Let a man fo account of us, as the ministers of

Chrift is fed when he fees the graces of his people; he gathers lilies when he tranflates any good foul out of this life. Trap. on the place.

" Chrift;" they are workers together with God: The husbandman works in the field among his labourers, and the great God difdaineth not to work in, and with his poor fervants, in the work of the miniftry.

11. Prop. The work about which hufbandmen employ their fervants in the field, is toilfome and fpending, you fee they come home at night as weary as they can draw their legs after them.

Reddit. But God's workmen have a much harder task than they; hence are they set forth in scripture by the laborious ox, 1 Cor. ix. 9. Rev. iv. 7. Some derive the word axovos, deacon from xos, which fignifies duft, to fhew the laboriousness of their employment, labouring till even choaked with duft and fweat. It is faid of Epaphrofitus, Phil. ii. 13. "That for the work of Chrift he was fick, and nigh unto death; not regarding his life, to fupply their lack of fervice." The apoftle's expreffion, Col. i. ult. is very emphatical, "Whereunto I alfo labour, ftriving, according to his working, "which worketh in me mightily." The word aywavos, fignifies fuch fpending labour as puts a man into an agony; and blessed is that fervant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, fhall find fo doing.

12. Prop. The immediate end of the husbandman's labour, and his fervants labour is for the improvement of his land, to make it more flourishing and fruitful.

Reddit. The scope and end of the miniftry is for the church's benefit and advantage. They muft not lord it over God's heritage, as if the church were for them, and not they for the church; nor serve themselves of it, but be the church's fervants for Jefus fake, 2 Cor. iv. 6. The power they have received being for edification, and not for destruction, 2 Cor. x. 8. Chrift hath given them to the churches; their gifts, their time, their strength, and all their ministerial talents, are not their own, but the church's stock and treasure.

13. Prep. The workmen that labour in the fields are accountable for their work to him that employed them.

Reddit. Church-officers are alfo accountable to God for all the fouls committed to them. They are ftewards of the myfteries of God, I Cor. iv. 1. and ftewards are accountable. "We watch for your fouls, (faith the apoftle) as they that muft "give an account," Heb. xiii. 7. If thefe fervants be unfaithful in their work and truft, the blood of fouls fhall be required at their hands, Ezek. iii. 17, 18. which are fulmina, non verba, (faith Erafmus) thunderbolts, rather than words. The guilt of blood is the greatest guilt; and of all blood, the blood of fouls.

14. Prop. Thofe that spend their time and ftrength all their days, in manuring and plowing in the fields, do maintain themselves and their families by their labours; their hands are fufficient for themfelves and theirs.;

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Reddit. "Even fo hath God ordained, that they which preach the gofpel, fhould live by the gofpel," 1 Cor. ix. 14. "The work

"man is worthy of his meat," Mat x. 10. It is a fad thing, if those who break the bread of life to fouls, fhould be fuffered to want bread themfelves. God would not have the mouth of an ox muzzled that treads out the corn, but have liberty to eat as well as work. Yet if any pretender to the miniftry be like the heifer, that loves to tread out the corn, i. e. cares to do no work, but fuch as brings in present pay; he therein fufficiently difcovers his beaft-like difpofition. Minifters must be faithful in their Mafter's work, and if men do not, God will reward them. For " he is not unrighteous to forget their "work, and labour of love," Heb. vi. 10.

15. Prop. It is a great trouble to hufbandmen in a bufy time, to be put off from their labours by ftormy weather, which drives them out of the fields, and makes them let all lie, till it clear up again; yet, mean while, they are not idle, but employ themfelves in home

work.

Reddit. Even fo in God's husbandry, it is an unfpeakable affliction to God's workmen to be rendered useless and unferviceable to the churches, by thofe ftorms of trouble, which drive them from their public minifterial work. With what a heavy heart did Paul go off from his work at Ephefus, Acts xx. It fpends a minifter to preach, but more to be filent. It is a loud speaking judgment, when God fhall fay to them as to Ezekiel, "Son of man, I will make thy << tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, and thou fhalt be dumb," Ezek. iii. 26. Such filencing providences, fpeak thundering language to gracious hearts; yet, even then, the keepers of the vineyard have a private vineyard of their own to look after, they have much home-work, when no out-work.

16. Prop. There is a vaft difference betwixt thofe fields which have been well hufbanded, and dreffed by a fkilful and diligent hufbandman; and thofe that have been long out of hufbandry. How fragrant is the one? How dry and barren the other? When you pafs by a field well dreffed and fenced, every thing profperous, and in exquifite order, you may know, without farther enquiry, that a good husbandman lives there.

Reddit. Thus ftands the cafe betwixt thofe places which God hath bleffed with a faithful, painful miniftry, and fuch as have none, or worfe than none: for as the hufbandman's coft and pains appear in the verdant and fragrant hue of his fields; fo a minifters pains and diligence are (ordinarily feen in the heavenly lives, and flourishing graces of the people. The churches of Corinth and Theffalonica, where Paul and other holy inftruments ípent much of their time and pains, became famous and flourishing churches, 2 Cor. ix. 2. A fpecial blefling comes along with a godly minifter, to the place where fpecial providence affigns him. Such places, like Gideon's fleece, have the dew of heaven lying on them, whilst others round about are dry and barren.

17. Prop. The hufbandman is not difcouraged, though the feed.

lie long under the clods; he knows it will fpring up at the laft, and reward him, or those that come after him, for their pains and patience in waiting for it.

Reddit. Minifters fhould not be prefently difcouraged in their work, because they fee but little or no appearance of all the feed they have fown among the people. The "fervant of the Lord must be "patient towards all, waiting if at any time God will give them re"pentance," 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. And if it never fpring up in his time, it may after his death; and if fo, he fhall not fail of his reward, John iv. 36, 37. "And he that reapeth, receiveth wages, " and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that foweth, and "he that reapeth, may rejoice together; and herein is that faying "true, one foweth, and another reapeth." Though minifters die, yet their words live; yea, their words take hold of men when they are in the duft, Zech. i. 6.

18. Prop. Husbandmen find low grounds and vallies, moft fertile; hills, how lofty foever they overtop the lower grounds, yet anfwer not the husbandman's pains as the vallies do: thefe are beft watered and fecured from the fcorching heat of the fun.

Reddit. Experience fhews us, that the humbleft faints are moft fruitful under the gofpel; "Thefe are they that receive with meek"nefs the engraffed word," James i. 21. whofe influences abide in them, as the rain doth in the low vallies. Happy is that minifter, whofe lot falls in fuch a pleafant valley. "Blefled are they that fow " befide all fuch waters, that fend forth thither the feet of the ox " and the afs," Ifa. xxxii. 20. among thefe vallies run the pleafant fprings and purling brooks, which fertilize the neighbouring ground. Heavenly ordinances there, leave frui ful influences.

19. Prop. The first crop is usually the beft, and the longer the hufbandman tills his ground, the lefs it produces; after a few years its vigour and ftrength is spent.

Reddit. The first entertainment of the gofpel is commonly the beft; and what good is done by the miniftry is often done at its first entrance. New things are pretty, and very taking. "John at first "was to the Jews a burning and shining light, and they were willing "[for a feafon] to rejoice in his light," John v. 35. Paul was highly valued among the Galatians at firft; fuch was their zeal, that they could have plucked out their eyes, and have given them to him; but how quickly did this full tide ebb again? For he complains, Gal. iv. 15. "Where then is the bleffednefs ye fpake of?"

20. Prop. Laftly, When fields prove barren, and will not quit the hufbandman's coft, nor answer the feed he fows in them, he plucks up the hedges, and lays it wafte.

Reddit. So when churches grow formal and fruitless, the Lord removes his gofpel-prefence from them. plucks up the hedge of his protection from about them, and lays them open as wafte ground, to be over-run by their enemies. Jer. vii. 12. Go to Shiloh, and fee

"what I did unto it." What is become of thofe once famous and flourishing churches of Afia? Are they not laid wafte, and trodden down by infidels? And now go to, faith the great Hufbandman, "I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard; I will pull up the hedge thereof, and it fhall be laid wafte," Ifa. v. 5.

Thus you fee the allegory opened in its particulars: from the whole, I fhall prefent you with thefe five enfuing corollaries.

The firft Corollary.

How great then are the dignities and privileges of the churches of Fefus Chrift whom he hath appropriated to himself, above all the people of the earth, to be his peculiar inheritance? The rest of the world is a wafte wilderness; all other places, how pleasant foever, in refpect of their natural amenity and delights, are truly enough called the dark places of the earth; difinal, folitary cells, where Zim and Iim, Bitterns, Cormorants, and every doleful creature dwells. But the church is the paradife of the earth, a garden inclofed, Cant. iv. 12. in whose hedges the gospel birds chirp and fing melodioufly, Cant. ii. 12. beds are beds of fpices, Cant. vi. 2. and betwixt its pleasant banks, a crystal river of living water runs, Rev. xxii. 1. the ftreams whereof make glad the city of God, in the midft whereof the Lord himself delights to waik. O Zion, with what pleafures doth thou abound? If Bernard was fo ravifhed with the delights of his monaftry, because of its green banks, and fhady bowers, and herbs, and trees, and various objects to feed his eyes, and fragrant fmells, and fweet and various tunes of birds, together with the opportunities of devout contemplation, that he cried out admiringly, Lord! what delight doft thou provide, even for the poor! How much more fhould we be ravifhed with Zion's glory? For, beautiful for fituation is mount Zion Of whom it may much more truly be faid, what a *chronicler of our own once faid of England, That it is the fortunate ifland, the paradife of pleasure, the garden of God, whofe vallies are like Eden, whofe hills are as Lebanon, whofe fprings are as Pifgah, whofe rivers are as Jordan, whofe will is the ocean, and whofe defence is the Lord Jehovah. Happy art thou. O Ifrael; who is like unto thee? Who can count the privileges wherewith Chrift hath invested his churches? O let it never seem a light thing in our eyes, that we grow within his blefied inclofure. How fweet a promile is that, Exod. xix. 5. "Ye "fhall be to me a peculiar treafure, above all people; for all the "earth is mine."

The fecond Corollary.

Hence it follows, That fpiritual barrennefs is a great reproach and fhame to Chriftians. Shall God's hufbandry, which is planted, watered, fenced, filled with favours and mercies, be like the barren heath in the defart? Surely it thould be faid of every foul that grows here, as the hiftorian faith of Spain, that there is nihil infructuofum,

Speed's Chronicle.

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