tentionally, in the decree before the world was; which decree is executed in their fanctification and adoption.

3. Prop. Corn-fields are carefully fenced by the husbandman with hedges and ditches, to preferve their fruits from beafts that would otherwise over-run and destroy them-Non minor eft virtus quam quaerere parta tueri. It is as good hufbandry to keep what we have, as to acquire more than we had. Reddit. "My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruit"ful hill, and he fenced it," Ifa. v. 1, 2. No inheritance is better defended and fecured, than the Lord's inheritance, Pfal. cxxv. 2. "As the mountains are round about Jerufalem, so the "Lord is round about his people." So careful is he for their fafety," that he createth upon every dwelling-place of mount "Sion, and upon her affemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, "and the fhining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all "the glory fhall be a defence," Ifa. iv. 5. Not a particular faint, but is hedged about and inclofed in arms of power and love, Job i. 10. "Thou haft made a hedge about him." The devil fain would, but by his own confeffion could not, break over that hedge to touch Job, till God's permiflion made a gap for him yea, he not only makes an hedge, but a wallabout them, and that of fire, Zech. ii. 5. Sets a guard of angels to en"camp round about them that fear him," Pfal. xxxiv. 7. And will not truft them with a fingle guard of angels neither, though their power be great, and love to the faints as great; but watches over them himself alfo, Ifa. xxvii. 2, 3. 66 Sing "ye unto her, a vineyard of red wine, I the Lord do keep it, "I will water it every moment; left any hurt it, I will keep

"it night and day."

4. Prop. Husbandmen carry out their compoft; to fertilize their arable ground, they dung it, drefs it, and keep it in heart; and in thefe western parts are at great charges to bring lime, and falt-water fand to quicken their thin and cold foil.

Reddit. "Lord, let it alone this year alfo, till I fhall dig a"bout it, and dung it; and if it bear fruit, well, if not, cut it “down,” Luke xiii. 8. O the rich dreffing which God bestows upon his churches! they are coftly fields indeed, drest and fertilized, not only by precious ordinances and providences, but alfo by the fweat, yea, blood of the dispensers of them. You Londoners (faith Mr. Lockier in Colof. p. 552.) are trees watered choicely indeed; it is ftoried of the palm-tree, that at its first transplanting into Italy, it was watered with wine. I cannot fay (faith he) that you have been fo watered by me, I dare not; but this I can humbly and truly fay, that

* if our choicest strength and spirits may be named instead of water, wine; or if the bleffing which hath gone along with these waters, at any time, hath turned them into wine, in * vigour upon your fouls, then hath God by me, watered your roots with wine.'

5. Prop. The hufbandman builds his house, where he makes his purchase, dwells upon his land, and frequently vifits it; he knows that fuch as dwell far from their lands, are not far from loss.

Reddit. So doth God; where-ever he plants a church, there doth he fix his habitation, intending there to dwell, Pfalm xlvi. 5. "God is in the midst of her," fhe fhall not be moved. Thus God came to dwell upon his own fee and inheritance, in Judea, Lev. xxvi. 11, 12. "And I will fet my tabernacle a

mongst you, and will be your God, and ye fhall be my "people." Which promise is again renewed to his churches of the New Testament, 2 Cor. vi. 16. And when the churches fhall be in their greatest flourish, and purity, then fhall there be the fullest and most glorious manifestation of the divine prefence among them, Rev. xxi. 3. "And I heard a great voice "out of heaven, faying, behold the tabernacle of God is with

men, and he will dwell with them, and be their God." Hence the affemblies are called, the places of his feet————And there they "behold the beauty of the Lord," Pfalm xxvii.

6. Prop. Husbandmen grudge not at the coft they are at for their tillage; but as they lay out vaft fums upon it, fo they do it chearfully.

Reddit. "And now, O inhabitants of Jerufalem, and men "of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard;

what could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have "not done in it ?" And as he beftows upon his heritage the choiceft mercies, fo he doth it with the greatest chearfulness; for he faith, Jer. xxxii. 41. "I will rejoice over them, to do

them good; and I will plant them in this land affuredly, " with my whole heart, and with my whole foul." It is not the giving out of mercy (faith one) that grieveth God, but the recoiling of his mercy back again upon him by the creatures ingratitude.

7. Prop. When husbandmen have been at cost and pains about their husbandry, they expect fruit from it, answerable to their pains and expences about it: "Behold (faith James) the "husbandman waiteth for the precious fruits of the earth," Jam. v. 7.

Reddit. "And he looked that it fhould bring forth fruit," Ifa. v. 2. This heavenly Husbandman 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 fer"vants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it."

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

Reddit. Much more is God delighted in beholding the flourifhing 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 lillies." Thefe beds of fpices (fay* expofitors) are the particular churches, the companies of believers; he goes to feed in these gardens, like as men go to their gardens to make merry, or to gather fruit, Cant. iv. 16. "He eats his pleasant fruit," viz. His peoples holy performances, fweeter to him than any ambrofia: thus he feeds in the gardens, and he gathers lillies when he tranflates good fouls into his kingdom above; "For the Lord "taketh pleasure in his faints, and will beautify the meek with falvation."

9. Prop. The hufbandman is exceedingly grieved, when he fees the hopes of a good crop disappointed, 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, worse than none, Hofea ix. 16. "Ephraim is fmitten, "their root is dried up." Chrift was exceedingly displeased 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 ftrength for nought."

10. Prop. Husbandmen employ many labourers to work in their fields, there is need of many hands for such a multiplici ty of business.

Reddit. God hath diverfity of workmen also in the churches,

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

whom he fends forth to labour in his spiritual fields, Eph. iv. 12. "He gave fome apostles, fome prophets, and fome evange "lifts; and some pastors 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, tho' a profane mouth once called it, probrofum artificium, a fordid artifice. Chrift hath stampt a great deal of dignity upon his ministers, in retaining them for the nearest service to himfelf, 1 Cor. iv. 1. "Let a man fo account of us, as the mini❝fters of 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 fer vants, in the work of the miniftry.

11. Prop. The work about which husbandmen employ their fervants in the field, is toilfome and spending, 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 fet forth in fcripture by the laborious ox, 1 Cor. ix. 9. Rev. iv. 7. Some derive the word danovos, deacon, from now, which fignifies duft, to fhew the laborioufnefs of their employment, labouring till even choaked with dust and fweat. "Tls faid of Epaphroditus, Phil. ii. 13. "That for the "work of Chrift he was fick, and nigh unto death; not re"garding 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 afvwvos, fignifies fuch spending labour as puts a man into an agony; and bleffed is that fervant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, fhall find fo doing.

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

Reddit. The fcope and end of the miniftry is for the church's benefit and advantage. They must not lord it over God's heritage, as if the church were for them, and not they for the church; nor ferve themselves of it, but be the church's ferwants for Jefus fake, 2 Cor. iv. 6. The power they have received being for edification, and not for deftruction, 2 Cor. x. 8. Christ hath given them to the churches; their gifts, their time, their ftrength, and all their minifterial talents, are not their own, but the church's ftock and treasure.

13. Prop. 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, 1 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 these 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. Those that spend their time and strength all their days, in manuring and plowing the fields, do maintain themfelves and their families by their labours; their hands are fufficient for themselves and theirs.

Reddit. "Even fo hath God ordained, that they which "preach the gofpel, should live of the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 14. "The workman is worthy of his meat," Mat. x. 10. 'Tis a

fad thing, if those who break the bread of life to fouls, should be fuffered to want bread themselves. 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 prefent pay; he therein fufficiently discovers his beast-like difpofition. Ministers must be faithful in their master'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 husbandmen in a busy 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 themselves in home-work.

Reddit. Even fo in God's husbandry, it is an unspeakable affliction to God's workmen to be rendered useless and unferviceable to the churches, by those storms of trouble, which drive them from their public ministerial 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. 'Tis a loud fpeaking judgment, when God shall say to them as to Ezekiel, "Son of man, I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy "mouth, and thou shalt be dumb," Ezek. iii. 26. Such filencing providences, speaking thundring language to gracious hearts; yet, even then, the keepers of the vineyard have a pri