Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

merly lay clofe. Thus doth the Spirit of conviction rend afunder the heart, and its most beloved lufts. Joel ii. 13. "Rent your "hearts, and not your garments:" That is, rather than your garments; for the fenle is comparative, though the expreffion be negative. And this renting implies not only acute pain, flesh cannot be rent asunder without anguish, nor yet only force and violence; the heart is a ftubborn, and knotty piece, and will not eafily yield; but it alfo implies a difunion of parts united: As when a garment, or the earth, or any contiguous body is rent, thofe parts are feparated which formerly cleaved together. Sin and the foul were glewed fast together before, there was no parting of them, they would as foon part with their lives, as with their lufts; but now when the heart is reat from them truly, it is also rent from them everlastingly, Ezek. vii. 15, to 19.

(4.) The plow turns up, and difcovers fuch things as lay hid in the bofom of the earth before, and were covered under a fair green furface, from the eyes of men. Thus when the Lord plows up the heart of a finner by conviction, then the fecrets of his heart are made manifest, 2 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. the most secret and fhameful fins will then out; for "the word of God is quick "and powerful, fharper than any two-edged fword, piercing " even to the dividing of the foul and fpirit, the joints and marrow, and is a difcerner of the thoughts and fecret intents "of the heart," Heb. iv. 12. It makes the fire burn inwardly, fo that the foul hath no reft till confeffion give a vent to trouble. Fain would the fhuffling finner conceal and hide his shame, but the word follows him through all his finful fhifts, and brings him at last to be his own, both accufer, witness, and judge.

[ocr errors]

(5) The work of the plow is but opus ordinabile, a preparative work in order to fruit. Should the husbandman plow his ground ever fo often, yet if the feed be not caft in, and quickened, in vain is the harvest expected. Thus conviction alio is but a preparative to a farther work upon the foul of a finner; if it ftick there, and go no farther, it proves but an abortive, or untimely birth: Many have gone thus far, and there they have ftuck; they have been like a field plowed, but not fowed, which is a matter of trembling confideration; for hereby their fin is greatly aggravated, and their eternal mifery fo much the more increased. O when a poor damned creature (hall with horror reflect upon himself in hell, How near was I once, under fuch -a fermon, to converfion! my fins were fet in order before me, my confcience awakened, and terrified me with the guilt of them; many purposes and refolves I had then to turn to God, which,

.

had they been perfected by answerable executions, I had never come to this place of torment; but there I ftuck, and that was my eternal undoing. Many fouls have I known fo terrified with the guilt of fin, that they have come roaring under horrors of confcience to the preacher; fo that one would think such a breach, had been made betwixt them and fin, as could never be reconciled; and yet as angry as they were in that fit with fin, they have hugged and embraced it again.

(6.). It is beft plowing when the earth is prepared, and mollified by the showers of rain; then the work goes on fweetly and easily, and never doth the heart so kindly melt, as when the gospelclouds diffolve, and the free grace, and love of Jefus Chrift comes fweetly fhowering down upon it; then it relents, and mourns ingenuously, Ezek. xvi. 63. "That thou mayeft remember, and "be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because "of thy fhame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that "thou hast done." So it was with that poor penitent, Luke vii. 38. when the Lord Jefus had difcovered to her the fuperabounding riches of his grace, in the pardon of her manifold abominations, her heart melted within her, she washed the feet of Chrift with tears. And indeed, there is as much difference betwixt the tears which are forced by the terrors of the law, and thofe which are extracted by the grace of the gofpel, as there is betwixt thofe of a condemned malefactor, who weeps to confider the mifery he is under, and those of a pardoned malefactor, that receives his pardon at the foot of the ladder, and is melted by the mercy and clemency of his gracious prince towards him.

(7) The plow kills thofe rank weeds which grow in the field, turns them up by the roots, buries and rots them. So doth faving conviction kill fin at the root, makes the foul fick of it, begets indignation in the heart against it, 2 Cor. vii. 11. The word 'Ayavanтnow, there fignifies the rifing of the ftomach, and being angry even unto fickness; religious wrath is the fierceft wrath, now the foul cannot endure fin, it trembles at it. "I find a woman more bitter than death," (faith penitent Solomon) Eccl. vii. 26. Conviction, like a furfeit, makes the foul to lothe what it formerly loved, and delighted in.

(8.) That field is not well plowed, where the plow jumps and fkips over good ground, and makes baulks, it must run up the whole field alike; and that heart is not favingly convicted, where any luft is fpared, and left untouched. Saving conviction extends itself to all fins, not only to fin in general, with this cold confefsion, I am a finner; but to the particulars of

fin, yea, to the particular circumstances and aggravations of time, place, manner, occafions, thus and thus have I done; to the fin of nature, as well as practice: "Behold I was shapen "in iniquity," Pfalm li. 5. There must be no baulking of any fin, the fparing of one fin, is a fure argument thou art not truly humbled for any fin. So far is the convinced foul from ftudious concealment of a beloved fin, that it weeps over that, more than over any other actual fin.

a

(9.) New ground is much more eafily plowed, than that which by long lying out of tillage is more confolidated, and clung together, by deep-rooted thorns, and brambles, which render it difficult to the plowman. This old ground is like an old finner, that hath lain a long time hardening under the means of grace. O the difficulty of convincing fuch a perfon! fio hath got fuch rooting in his heart, he is fo habituated to the reproofs and calls of the word, that few fuch are wrought upon. How many young perfons are called to one obdurate, inveterate finner? I do not fay but God may call home fuch a foul at the eleventh hour, but I may fay of thefe, compared with others, as Solomon speaks, Ecclef. vii. 28. "One man among a thousand "have I found," &c. Few that have long refifted the gospel, that come afterwards to feel the faving efficacy thereof.

REFLECTION S.

The true convert's reflection.

1. O grace, for ever to be admired! that God should fend forth his word and Spirit to plow up my hard and stony heart! yea, mine, when he hath left fo many of more tender, ingenuous, fweet and melting tempers, without any culture or means of grace. O bleffed gofpel, heart-diffolving voice! I have felt thine efficacy, I have experienced thy divine and irresistible power; thou art, indeed, fharper than any two-edged fword, and woundest to the heart; but thy wounds are the wounds of a friend: All the wounds thou haft made in my foul, were fo many doors opened to let in Chrift; all the blows thou gaveft my confcience, were but to beat off any foul from fia, which I embraced, and had retained to my everlasting ruin, hadst thou not feparated them and me. O wife, and merciful phyfician! thou didst indeed bind me with cords of conviction and forrow, but it was only to cut out that ftone in my heart, which had killed me if it had continued there. O how did I ftruggle and oppofe thee, as if thou hadst come with the fword of an enemy, rather than the lance, and probe of a skilful and tender-hearted phyfician? Bleffed be the day wherein my fin was difcovered and embittered! O happy forrows, which pre

pared for fuch matchlefs joys! O bleffed hand, which turned. my falt waters into pleasant wine! and after many pangs, and forrows of foul, didft, at length, bring forth deliverance and peace.

The ftubborn heart's reflection.

2. But, O what a rock of adamant is this heart of mine! that never yet was wounded, and favingly pierced for fin by the terrors of the law, or melting voice of the gofpel! long have I fat under the word, but when did I feel a relenting pang? O my foul! my ftupified foul! thou haft got an antidote against repentance, but haft thou any againft hell? Thou canft keep out the fenfe of fin now, but art thou able to keep out the terrors of the Lord hereafter? If thou couldft turn a deaf ear to the fentence of Chrift in the day of judgment, as eafily as thou dost to the intreaties of Chrift in the day of grace, it were fomewhat; but furely there is no defence against that. Ah! fool that I am, to quench thefe convictions, unless I knew how to quench thofe flames they warn me of.

[ocr errors]

The miscarrying

foul's reflection.

I have been often awakened

3. And may not I challenge the first place a: mong all the mourners in the world, who have all lost those convictions which at several times came upon me under the word? by it, and filled with terrors and tremblings under it; but those troubles have foon worn off again, and my heart (like water removed from the fire) returned to its native coldnefs. Lord! what a difmal cafe am I in! many convictions have I choaked, and ftrangled, which, it may be, fhall never more be revived, until thou evive them against me in judgment, I have been in pangs, and brought forth nothing but wind; my troubles have wrought no deliverance, neither have my lufts fallen before. them? My confcience, indeed, hath been fometimes fick with fin, yea, fo fick as to vomit them up by an external, partial reformation; but then, with the dog, have I turned again to my vomit, and now I doubt I am given over to an heart that cannot repent. Oh that these travelling pangs could be quickened again! but alas! they are ceafed. I am like a prifoner escaped, and again recovered, whom the jaylor loads with double irons. Surely, O my foul! if thy fpiritual troubles return not again, they are but gone back to bring eternal troubles. It is with thee, O my foul! as with a man whofe bones have been broken, and not well fet; who muft, (how terrible foever it appear to him) endure the pain of breaking and fetting them again, if ever he be made found man. O that I might rather chuse to be the object of thy wounding mercy, than of thy fparing

cruelty! if thou plow not up my heart again by compunction, I know it must be rent in pieces at last by defperation.

TH

The POE M.

THERE's fkill in plowing, that the plowman knows,
For if too fhallow, or too deep he goes,

The feed is either buried, or elle may

To rooks and daws become an easy prey.
This, as a lively emblem, fitly may
Defcribe the bleffed Spirit's work and way:
Whole work on fouls, with this doth fymbolize;
Betwixt them both, thus the refemblance lies.
Souls are the foil, conviction is the plow,

God's workmen draw, the Spirit fhews them how.
He guides the work, and in good ground, doth blefs
His workmen's pains, with fweet and fair fuccefs.
The heart prepar'd, he fcatters in the feed,
Which, in its feafon, fprings, no fowl nor weed
Shall pick it up, or choak this fpringing corn,
'Till it be houfed in the heavenly barn.
When thus the Spirit plows up the fallow ground,
When with fuch fruits his fervants work is crown'd;
Let all the friends of Chrift, and fouls fay now,
As they pals by the fields, God speed the plow.
Sometimes this plow, thin fhelfy ground doth turn,
That little feed which fprings, the fun-beams burn.
The rest uncovered lies, which fowls devour.

Alas! their heart was touch'd, but not with pow'r.
The cares and pleasures of this world have drown'd
The feed, before it peep'd above the ground.
Some fprings indeed, the Scripture faith that fome
Do taste the powers of the world to come.
Thefe embrio's never come to timely birth,
Because the feed that's fown wants depth of earth.
Turn up, O God, the bottom of my heart;
And, to the feed that's fown, do thou impart
Thy choiceft bleffing. Though I weep and mourn
In this wet feed-time, if I may return
With fheaves of joy; thefe fully will reward
My pains and forrows, be they ne'er fo hard.

« PoprzedniaDalej »